Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[glenn kangiser]

Looks like some breeds may be a bit hard to keep in.....

[considerations]

Hmm... the real unicorn behind the myths.

[glenn kangiser]

Kinda scary....knowing these things really exist....

[glenn kangiser]

Goat fencing info... looks like it is kind of expensive to keep goats in....

http://www.luresext.edu/goats/library/field/hart01.html

A Texas adage says that if you can see through it or blow smoke through it, it won't hold a goat. However, it is possible to keep goats in your pasture without spending a mint on your fencing.

[glenn kangiser]

Worked on the hydroponics some today.  I always have to do six things before I can do the one I started out to do...... Find tools since this is a different job.  Find the proper materials - rip boards - get the nail gun- get the heavy plastic.  I am like the hunter gatherer Native Americans that roamed our land for a bit....

I wanted the sides to be a bit over 2 inches high  from past experience.  With the NFT intermittent flow, the roots grow like crazy so I made the troughs 8 inches wide.  I screwed the ripped 3 inch wide 1x's to the sides of the 8 inch 1x giving me about 2 1/4 inch high sides.  The troughs are a bit over 16 feet long.



They will be lined with 20 mil polyethylene - black so as to not let light in.  If the nutrient gets too hot I may have to put a white cover over it to reflect some of the light and heat away from it.

This is in the greenhouse above the uphill patio so I had to put a catwalk over the log ends I left out for that purpose almost ten years ago.... [ouch]



and what catwalk would be complete without a chickenwalk to get up to it?.... at least I think that is what it's called.





So I got the troughs in place sloped at about 1/4 inch per foot.  Next thing is to line them with the poly to keep the water in and the light out.





I think that will have to wait until my next time  I have a few hours to work on it.  Off to my real job again in the morning.

[glenn kangiser]

All right PEG and W.... I have decided to abandon Stoolman and Plungerman as alter-egos....


I'm going to stick with the  "Man of Steel"  and I'm off for another undetermined stint of saving detailers and fabricators from the evils of steel that doesn't fit.  This time a New Safeway shopping center in Metropolis.



Webcam.... exciting - pix will be changed with progress.  [ouch]

http://oxblue.com/pro/open/safeway/1547burlingame

Up, UP and Awayyyyyyyy.... 

[Whitlock]

Well maybe I have been looking at this wrong.
You don't do a thing by the book!
Maybe you are a villain and not a super hero.
How about we call you the Turd Buglar?

Oh and by the way you are what you eat and I don't think the man of steel eats ice cream and instant potatos 24/7!

The hydo set up looks interesting might get into that myself got to get the green house built first.
Like the cat walk other than the two boards that have a knot running all the way tough them it should last quite awhile.


Hope to see you and Sassy soon,W

[glenn kangiser]

OK, W....   I know you don't want to hear this but the first thing the Project Manager said when he saw me was, I thought Superman would be wearing a Cape instead of Camo.....

I never met him before ..... sorry if I just naturally leave that impression....

That burglar thing.... that won't fly here... this is the bay area.....

Don't do a thing buy the book... I generally talk the inspector into letting me build to the design drawings ignoring the messed up detailer plans if that is the problem.  If he inspects my welds and repairs and they meet the engineers design then we are in.  I also suggest fixes I want to the engineer so he can approve them as is or modify them a bit to his specs...either way we usually get an easier fix that way.

That's why they like me.  I stretch the rules to the limit and then some to get these projects moving.  The other guys tried it by the book and failed.... not totally their fault though.  Seems the concrete guy has found alternative locations for the footings in a few locations and some of the job was changed after the plans were out too, among other problems.

...and I don't eat ice cream and instant potatoes 24/7.  Tonight I walked to a diner....about a half mile, and had a Cheeseburger.... and french fries and a soft serve swirl cone.   That's not the same as scooping out a bowl of Ice Cream.....  [ouch]

The knotty boards.... strategically placed or shot with the air nailer to hold the pieces there... actually it feels pretty solid.  I started out using 2x2's but then found some nice scrap edges about the right size by the sawmill and decided to go more rustic to allow their use.

Got a shot of the plastic liner in the top trough this morning on the way out.  It starts even with the near edge then lines the sides and bottom seamlessly with enough left over to lap back and tack down over the top to prevent light from getting to the nutrient and roots causing algae.  I cut it 22" wide when folded up on the roll to give me a 20' long piece 22 inches wide - a bit tight so went 23" for the second one.  That gives me enough to seal one end and run the other one down to the next trough or toward the reservoir as needed.



Hoping to get a good time off to see you and yours soon too, but being that I am selling myself for money, I have to take care of my clients first...

[glenn kangiser]

Got a deal from Amazon today...
Cordless Driil with batteries and charger

$149.99 with 2 day free (Prime) shipping - no CA Commie State sales tax.  (Until they read that)



A Cordless Drill kit with 2 1.5 AH batteries and charger for less than the price of the drill or batteries and charger alone.  I burned up a bigger drill last week reaming a hole about 25 feet up in the air,  when it caught, ripped from my hand and stuck against the side of an I beam with the switch stuck in the on position.  Could not get it unstuck and smoke was pouring from the motor....... [ouch]

Finally ripped the battery from it but....too late...  


Fried the battery too.  One of my old chargers went out too.  All in all though, I am not complaining as the Makita tools take more abuse from me than any other tool I have ever had.

Well, off to work.......  Up, UP and awaaaaayyyy....



















I mean......

[glenn kangiser]

Things are starting to move on the job.... beams that have been stalled for weeks are now in the air.  There are problems with some but at least now we can find out what they are.  

I put the shoe on the other foot today.  The Project Manager was asking for a bunch of columns to be installed.  Trouble is they didn't give us the information on how to make the top plate to fit their parts.  I started askeing about every hour or two for the fix... lots of promises... finally about 4PM a drawing --- holes on a 3 3/4 inch circle but our welds would be over the holes so they could not bolt their parts to it as it was 3 inch pipe - about 3 5/8" OD.  I sent him back to the drawing board.  

I am field building a special beam that was not addressed properly in the plans.  I asked the special inspector to document what I was doing because I had orders to get it done and I was going to do it.  I told him we could RFI the engineer after it was done.  We looked to existing examples of similar fixes and things are moving ahead with the idea that the engineer will be notified and have final say if more is desired by him.  Everyone is starting to get into quite a bit better mood now.  The company said to let them know anything I need - they will get it to me.  Great to have team support at the shop.

The PM apologized for getting gruff with me and I apologized for getting gruff when I wasn't getting answers.... Like Billy Goats Gruff, eh?   http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.html


I dish it back about the same as they dish it out...... He was happy that stuff was getting done.  Hopefully it continues to get better.  He said if I kept pushing him and he kept pushing me maybe we would get something going.... but he said if it comes to blows we would both have to put our hands in our back pockets and cool off.  I think things are improving. I let them know where they are failing instead of letting them run over the company 100%.  Puts things on a more even footing and everyone starts to work toward getting something accomplished.

I am the official representative for the steel company temporarily at least and I handle it like it is mine.    

[glenn kangiser]

Pulled into the same parking spot I was in yesterday..... looked about the same - a wet spot in the ground - no big deal... until I sunk all the way down to my tool boxes on the right - front and back.....

4 wheel drive Gradall would not pull it out... -backhoe would not pull it out..... so one of the grading guys got a 973? track layer Loader excavator and drug me out.... but too late - I had already ripped the spiders out of the differential.... about a 500 lb Eaton 2 speed rear axle.  I tried dealing with several local Bay Area companies and all I could see was getting ripped off, so called my neighbor/mechanic from home - had him load up his truck and come to the jobsite and tear the differential out with me tonight after work.....

At least with our own network we can trust each other and know charges will be fair even if it does cost a lot, and we control the situation... not some mechanic holding my truck hostage for outrageous sums of money like has happened in the past.

The Jobsite people have been great - making room for me to work on the truck - helping out to find parts places - offering to pull the truck around etc.  Yup -- gotta admit... city people can be nice too...

Things are still problem after problem at the site but the brass know I am taking care of problems and getting stuff done for them as fast as possible.  They push me to get it done and I ask the questions and push for answers from them so I can get it done.  Maybe some day we will make it.  Hopefully as on time as possible. 

My mechanic headed back to the valley with the broken differential.... we will see how repairs go tomorrow. 

[ben2go]

Sorry for the bad luck.At least you have a trust worthy repair man.I hate having to leave my truck sitting somewhere and can't look out and see it.

[glenn kangiser]

I know what you mean, Ben, but there is a security guard on the jobsite so it is not much wose than leaving it at the motel.

Today Fresno Gear shop told us to try their Livermore branch.  It sounded good and they are a gear shop I trust.  Had work done at Fresno branch before.  My mechanic took it to Livermore, and though they tried, getting the truck out of the mud wiped everything in the differential out - including part of the case. [ouch]

They have a bigger upgraded one ready and a yoke coming from Chicago or some such place for Monday.  The good news is he said there was old wear in it anyway besides me finishing it off.  Seems we just fixed the absolutely necessary stuff in the 2 speed last time as I recall.

So I am guessing about $3000 with us pulling it out and putting it back in.....

Oh well.... that's the breaks.  Can't win em all and other such sayings of wisdom.....

Meanwhile things are going better on the job as we solve problems one at a time and I give the erector a break by being trouble man.  Now he can actually get things done.  The big bosses had a pow-wow today and all sides were happy things were looking up.  That's good for me, and good for all of us.


....and, oh yeah... parts should be ready about Monday or Tuesday.......

[glenn kangiser]

Long days are catching up with me.  Sent the boys home with a load of steel to be repaired or galvanized.  Bosses are needing the yard cleaned up for grading so  am trying to make them happy.  Watched a bit of the Civil war on History and passed out about 8PM.  Generally I have been working 10 to 12 or so hours per day but did an 18 last week.  Have been working 6 days a week but am doing 7 this week to help get on schedule then back to 6 I hope.

Rented a nice little Dodge Dakota PU to haul my lazy butt around in until my truck is back together.  Thought it looked better than a car ... more macho, eh?

When the company I sub for comes under fire for not getting things right I start looking for ways to protect their interests.  Yes fixing it and making it go away is quick -if possible, but what if there is a clause in the contract for liquidated damages - say $10,000 to $100,000 per day or some such?  I know these terms often exist so just in case, I try the CYA approach.



Great big notes to "myself ?"on columns etc. that I take pictures of  and send into the company.  It calms down supervisors and makes them more cooperative in all future dealings.  Though the notes are seemingly to me for correcting problems actually they are to the supervisors - bosses etc for correcting attitudes.  No longer can they throw the blame onto others as it is out there in plain sight for all to see.  Sassy says I am passive aggressive... I make it into an art form.....

They blow their stack sometimes and get a bit excited but... too bad... I don't really care and in fact I rather enjoy it.  I work for myself... am hired to support MY client.  They back me All of the way.  They have my backside covered  and I have theirs.        

Pictures as above and documented with part numbers and dates along with written notes can go a long way toward straightening up problems in the future.  I saved them thousands of dollars on one job with a lying project manager just buy turning in notes on my invoice that the liar said he would take care of a certain problem.  Far as I know he never did.

The point of this comment....... document everything on your own projects with notes and pictures ....for A. Your own information,  B. Future reference... Dang... where was that leaking pipe exactly.... [ouch]  C.  Problem solving - difference resolving... D.  Future litigation prevention or support.  

[glenn kangiser]

I spent yesterday measuring concrete locations and seeing what all is affected by the mistakes. 

With wood it's not much problem to fix a mistake - it's a problem but not like when everything is pre-made, holes and lengths figured down to the 1/8th - tolerances down to the 16th.

A concrete mistake has moved the elevator 8 5/8 inches throwing  about 1/5th of the steel out of whack.  I'm working on it fast as I can .....[ouch]

Many times the GC wants stuff like this to go away by making lots of scapegoats.  I sent a report into the company last night nailing down a few facts.....

[glenn kangiser]

As things are kicked around a bit and both sides learn what the other side will tolerate and what they won't things are starting to settle down into an agreed cooperation and a "lets get beyond it and get this thing conquered" attitude.  I don't grovel well.

I like to treat others as they treat me.  Nice, cooperative and helpful.... that is the way I do it then.

Mean - ornery and finger pointing ..... I then show them how it's done.  

As the PM said... paraphrased.... Now that we have seen who can pee the highest, lets get this thing fixed.  He is a good guy clobbered with problems from all directions.  I think we will work well together moving forward.

Now .... I'm going to show you my rear end......





well,


Not My rear end........... but the one I tore out of the truck...






Good Job eh?






and the last thing we found was that the new heavy duty differential was 3 inches longer requiring the drive shaft to be shortened 3".   Where the heck do you find a drive line shortening shop 9 pm at night.  Safeway driveline service of course.  Took it into the store - used a wrap-around to get it perfectly straight, then with a thin cutoff grinding wheel I cut it - took the weights off , cut it at the weld - drove the end out and drove it into the shortened tube , then welded it up.  I put the weights back on and used match marks to align everything as close to perfect as possible..

Tried it out --- no vibration noticeable or expected..... I am so good.....









Well ... OK ... I guess if I was so good I wouldn't have ripped it out in the first place....... [ouch]

[MountainDon]

Nasty!  How much noise did that make?   

[glenn kangiser]

Not sure... I may have had my earplugs in.  There was some bumping and grinding, as I was in up to the hubs or maybe a bit over center of the wheel and sitting on the tool box on the right.  That was a 963 Cat Excavator we pulled it out with -pretty big.  A 44 foot Gradall type 4x4 forklift would not pull it out.  I tried to help by pouring the coal to it while being pulled but things just started crunching.  

More damage was done to it testing, and trying to get it to a work spot but by that time it did not matter any way.

I estimated at the start that parts would cost $3000. Fortunately I was wrong.  Only $2908 for parts plus my neighbor/mechanic and his son and my labor and several tanks of diesel for my mechanic chasing parts.  

Even at that I am very happy with Bayshore Equipment.  A very good gear company around this area.  Expensive but very good and they covered details to look for by my mechanic also.  The only unknown for us was the 3" drive line adjustment, but in their line I think that would be a common occurrence or unknown.  At least he knew to get the right yoke to hook it up.  Good job, boys.  

Went up the road for dinner tonight - had to dig a few pounds of mud out of one side of the wheel to balance the tires but smooth otherwise.

[pmichelsen]

Safeway driveline service of course.  Took it into the store - used a wrap-around to get it perfectly straight, then with a thin cutoff grinding wheel I cut it - took the weights off , cut it at the weld - drove the end out and drove it into the shortened tube , then welded it up.  I put the weights back on and used match marks to align everything as close to perfect as possible..

My hat is off to you sir, that is no easy task, well done!

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks.  I have done them before with a lathe, but I am really happy with the job I did the other night and I am pretty satisfied that I got it to near as good a precision fit as I would have with the lathe.

Being from the mountains we do whatever we need to do to get things to work sometimes.  I did this stuff in high school, though at that time my welding looked like piles of chicken poop.....

The truck is working great again.  I guess they reversed something in the bigger model as the two speed is now backwards - down is now high ratio, but I think I could switch the wires ...or just learn to use it backwards.... not a big issue as I am the only driver.

It is a rather helpless feeling when your truck is not functional...... I felt so..... vulnerable....... sniff....sniff....

Things are going better at the job but it is still a rush get caught up from problems I didn't make... but, forge on we will.  Cooperation has increased dramatically. 

[glenn kangiser]

Went for lunch at a local sandwich shop the other day.

Had to take a pix of this sign.....



Still working 12 or more hours a day... Hard to think of something intelligent to say......

Oh yeah.... several of our friends from the Humphrey Fellowship at UC Davis decided to make a June trip to visit us and Yosemite.  I was encouraging them to do it earlier this year and ended up not being able to be there to go with them due to my work.... however I called one of our and their friends to take good care of them and Sassy went hiking with them today too.  

Seeng and Tehut stayed at the underground cabin last night and tonight I think.  I'll bet Sassy and they are having a good time.  Seeng is From Botswana... Her online info from Davis.....

Ms. Seeng Manne

Principal Agriculture Scientific Officer
Ministry of Agriculture
Gaborone, Botswana

Ms. Manne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Botswana.  She currently works in the Division of Agricultural Marketing as the Head of Crop Marketing.  She is responsible for the coordination of commodity pricing, distribution, promotion, research and communication of marketing strategies that drive the agricultural business. As a Humphrey Fellow, Ms. Manne intends to explore marketing of agricultural products and project management to assist producers and handlers of farm products with resolving marketing problems.

Tehut is from Ethiopia

Her online info from Davis....

Ms. Tehut Tesfaye Sidelil

Project Manager, Management Consultant
Ethiopia Commodity Exchange
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ms. Sidelil has a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from the University of Cambridge, UK and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Information Systems: Change & Development from the University of Manchester, UK.  She has a Bachelors degree in Management from Addis Ababa University. In her current position she manages projects aimed at introducing new commodities (coffee and sesame) as exchange tradable commodities. She also worked as Special Assistant to the CEO and assisted the CEO in strategy and policy formulation; planning and coordinating the activities of the Exchange.  During her Humphrey fellowship year, Ms. Sidelil would like to obtain knowledge and skills that would make her proficient in project management and an effective leader.

Impressive credentials if I do say so myself, but to us they are just plain common family... our extended family and it seems like we have known them for years.  Soon they are going back to their respective countries on the other side of they world, but they will always remain with us in our thoughts.  They are just plain, down to earth great people.

Here is a pix of them when they visited the Underground Command Center in December.  This time they got to stay in it though.  Last time it was Myo,  Ekram, and Abduol.



We are all set to go to their Graduation Celebration at UC Davis this Saturday.  I told the contractor at the project I needed the day off as my friends are leaving and I can't miss seeing them again.  

[glenn kangiser]

We had a super time with our international friends.  They insisted we stay over, so we had two great days with them.

Have to try to head off to work in the morning early but will update you all in the next few days. 

[glenn kangiser]

I got two hours of sleep last night.  Stayed with our friends until after 8:30 then home.

We had a blast..... the last time we get to spend with them before they go to their respective countries..... we wouldn't have missed it for our lives.

Ana, Sassy, Tehut and Seeng.



Tehut and Sassy were good little girls and went to church....

Ana, Seeng and I had to go get Ana's computer at the I-House and then we went to check out some art - the symbol /theme of Davis - the velocipede... We had to play....



Ana showed me her cert from DC... Don't all college grads get one of these?  



We went to a place Ana located on the map - a place she and Seeng wanted to see before they take off....

Ana set my camera up on some rocks, set the timer then I pulled her up to the top before the flash went off.



The kids have been buddies for a year almost now.  Cherise is quite the talker when we get her started.  Nacho is full of energy but has time for his Ugandan friend.  He is from Argentina.

[glenn kangiser]

OK friends.... it is not often I ask you for anything......



I mean .... I really can't remember when I have asked you for anything at all...... hmm




....well, the situation has changed now.......




The bosses on the jobsite asked us to wear safety vests because Safeway was asking them to ask us to.



I complained about it.  The vests are dangerous.... all made of polyester and they are a fire hazard.......



Welders will catch them on fire cutting, welding or grinding resulting an possible 3rd degree burns from the melting, sticking, burning plastic.  They are a safety hazard in the air and will possibly catch on things knocking us off the beams climbing around in the air.  


I made a big stink about it but finally decided to comply......   I mean a lot of bosses will get a lot of brownie points, brown nosing their superiors on the corporate ladder if they can exert their authority on us and show that they can make us do things.... pardon me a second ... I have some boots to lick......     






As I said, I decided to comply and need your help.  They said it doesn't have to be the vest if it is dangerous.... Just something nice and bright......





I need your opinion........







Does the color of this safety equipment clash with the color of my cheeks? ......

[Texas Tornado]

Looks good on you Glenn