Stochastic Contemplations.

[worth1]

Something happened at work the other day that really upset me.
I hate to be around people I like that get into arguments.
One foreman was sent over from another job to help for one day.
The foreman on our job told him what he wanted him to do.
He starts crying and complaining that he doesn't want to do that and wants to just troubleshoot or something.
He doesn't want to mark up drawings to show what's been done and after a few words walks off.
Later while we are still taking about the event he calls me and asks what I need him to do and I tell him.
I'm not the foreman but something else but equal to.
Well later in the day an email comes out about how when foreman are asked to go to another job it is expected of them to set an example to others and do as they are told.
This email was from the head boss at the office and also to his head boss.
Which in turn is all our boss.

I wasn't for sure how this came about and knowing the foreman I work with I knew he didn't report him.

As it turns out this idiot called the office crying about the event.
Basically ratting his own self out about his childish behavior.
Well it backfired in spectacular fashion it seems.

We can all pee and moan about what we have to do and we do it.
We all do this but to just walk off and not do it isn't really a bright idea and no one wants to work with you.

What really ticks me off about the event is I've been troubleshooting and finding problems and or testing for the last several weeks.
Doing this and marking up drawings as we go.
We can't not do this the project is frigging huge.
There isn't anything we do without marking up drawings.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Simple pleasures:

While watering some of our newly planted Sun Coleus this a.m. (we NEED rain!!!) a Robin was following me around judiciously, watching me intently, and being fearlessly close enough for me to touch.

Though somewhat unresponsive to my invitation to chat, it eventually pecked into the soil around a newly watered plant and came out with what I thought was a dark grub/insect.

It skeddadled, but was back before I knew it, poking around again in the dampened soil, and coming out with another similar object.

Upon closer scrutiny, it became apparent it was pulling up wads of mud, and then heading into the spectacularly tangled Major Wheeler Honeysuckle to (it would seem) cement a better foundation for its nest.

The Gotch

[worth1]

I spent all of this week in programming class on two of our systems.
They were a form of computer logic programming to make things turn off or on due to inputs from other devices.
Two finals yesterday.
I wanted to just get up and run out the door from a panic attack.
Heart pounding and shaking blured vision room going in and out couldn't think.
But I stayed with it after calming down.
The testing required my program to be downloaded into the systems and used.
I ended up making a 98% on one and a 95% on the other.

[worth1]

I had to explain to the instructor why I was having panic attacks in the class during the exercises.
He knew I knew the programming logic better than the other two guys.
I've known him for over 20 years.
He was scolding the other two for not listening.
It was reflecting on me as well.
His demeanor changed with me and I was able to calm down.
That explanation is in the controversial section in the cash crop thread.
It effected me throughout my school years.

[rxkeith]

eighteen years ago today, a tiny little miracle happened, and our son was born.
i don't use the word miracle lightly. if you knew the circumstances at the time, and
how stacked the odds were against my wife having a successful pregnancy, i am sure
you would agree, that he was truly a miracle baby.
the time has flown by. he has been a good kid, a really good kid.
happy birthday kiddo.



keith

[worth1]

@rxkeith
Speaking of babies.
One guy at work I've never met has no tools he's paying child support can't pass a drug test and is 18 years old.
This is the kind of people we have to deal with.
His life is screwed before it even gets started.

[worth1]

Nipping it in the bud.
Had to explain what was expected of a new guy at work.
There is always a new guy at work it seems these days.
Here is the deal.
Many people stack up both breaks and their 30 minute lunch to have a one hour lunch.
They do this by clocking out for 30 minutes and clocking back in after 30 minutes and continuing their lunch for 30 minutes.

Well fine and dandy right?
Well not so fast.

These guys clock out and go to their car to get something to eat.
They clock back in at the car.
This means they are out of the geo fence and it pops up at the office on the time clock that is on the individuals phone.

I told the new kid he couldn't do it and he got upset.
My answer was welcome to construction.
This is the way its done its the company policy and if he didn't like it then look for another job.
We also told him we have been working on this job for a year and never once left the jobsite to go get something to eat.
He was flabbergasted.
I asked him where he went the other day to eat.
He said Chipotles.
How much did that cost?
24 dollars.
Do you really think you can afford to eat like that every day?
No.
We told him that he was either going to have to bring his lunch or clock out and back in on the job.
He was a little put out but that's the way it is.

Then I told him years ago I was a construction superintendent.
I would go to the jobsite and everyone was gone.
They were 10 miles away at a restaurant eating and taking 2 1/2 hour lunches but only taking 30 minutes off on their time sheets.
I told him that the dishonest actions of people were the reason we are in the boat we are in today.
Then the subject of the time clock on the phone came up.
He said he sometimes forgets to clock out and so on.
He puts in notes explaining this.
Fine I said but don't make a habit of it.
Our staff at the office has other things to do other than correcting time.
They are spending more time correcting time than anything else.
All these corrections bring up red flags.
I guess my point is these kids not only have to be trained in our field of work they have to be molded in to men and women learning how to be responsible adults.

[karstopography]

@worth1 one lunch for $24 at Chipotles? What the heck there costs that much or how much does this worker eat? Granted, I’ve never eaten at Chipotle’s, maybe it is terrific. Isn’t Chipotle’s just McDonalds with a Mexican name and a burrito? That’s my impression of it.

I get the construction work schedule. These projects tend to have very tight schedules to get to completion so you can’t have people lollygagging around all day away from work, nothing would ever get done.

People are pretty adaptable and can conform to a lot of different work schedules, just look at the shift workers.

Do these regimented work schedules take a toll? Were people really designed to work as much as they do?

Hunter and Gatherers, not that there are very many remaining, tend to work at getting enough food for only a bare few hours a day, then basically goof off, socialize, make music the rest of the time.

When western civilization and Europeans bumped up against the Native Americans and their cultures, a decent number of Europeans essentially through in their lot in with the Natives and lived as such.

Why? I believe people desire to live in relative freedom and not be so regimented and rigid, of course, not so much work would get done.

Would people have been better off ultimately living wild and free instead of going down the civilization road?

No doubt, the planet would have been better off.

[worth1]

@karstopography
I've never eaten there before either.
I walked in and saw that they used rice as the main ingredient and I wasn't going to pay 10 dollars for a flour tortilla and mostly rice and other odds and ends.

Yeah the hunter gathering thing sounds great but considering the amount of people on the planet it wouldn't last long.
People would be killing each other for the last squirrel.

[karstopography]

Yes, no way to put the genie back in the bottle. I do think more and more people are realizing this general path the developed and developing world is on isn’t anything that will work in the long term. Bulldozing 2,100 acres of wild timber land for a solar power panel farm doesn’t strike me as a good solution. Solar power could be part of the solution, but I have to think there are better ways and places to make it happen.

[worth1]

Not for sure the young people of today have any idea of the hardships of the people of their past.
They can realize all they want but everyone can't make a living on social media or whatever the devil some come up with.
If our country here in the US wants to get back to producing our own goods we are going to have to accept the fact people are going to have to come to work.
The young kid I mentioned above is 23 and ridiculously over weight.
He is also terrified of an 8 foot ladder.
When I was 23 I could run to an 8 foot fence and be over it in less than 15 seconds and keep running.
But even then that was an exception.

The kid in mention also drove a truck for 9 months and didn't like being away from home all the time.
That's pretty much the common attitude with many young folks that start out driving trucks.
They get told how much the ((can)) make not how much they ((will)) make.
My brother fell victim to this lie even after I told him the facts.
I think he lasted a year, but I was his little brother so what did I know.
Then the kid mentioned asked me how much I made.
I have never told anyone at work how much I make and never will.
It's simply non of their business.
They will automatically assume they need to make as much as me.
Thats just not how it goes.
They all have the attitude that that pay me a lot of money and they will show you what they can do.
In other words reward before actions.
The equivalent would be to give all the soldiers the congressional medal of honor before they ever leave basic training.
It just doesn't work that way.

Nor am I going to place all the blame on our schools and school teachers.
These kids hopefully have a father and a mother and it's just as much their responsibility to teach their children as the schools.

Schools should not be a daycare center for kids up until graduation.
They can't constantly blame the school district and hope politicians fix things.
They never have and never will.

[Vanman]

It is the parents responsibility to teach the children. Most of the problem today is single parent families and two parent families with "parents" that don't care.
JMHO

[worth1]

It is the parents responsibility to teach the children. Most of the problem today is single parent families and two parent families with "parents" that don't care.
JMHO

That is true and not likely to change anytime soon.
But there are plenty of exceptions to the rule on single parent families too.
I know of several kids that are good workers and good people that were raised up in single parent families.
They just didn't use it as an excuse or become a victim of it.
The age old excuse for some of being they came from a broken home has gone back many years.
And I don't think an abused parent should be forced to stay with an abusive spouse for the children's sake is a good idea either.
My late wife was raised up in that type of family.

[Vanman]

There are always exceptions both ways. Bad kids from good families with both parents present and caring as well as good kids from families that did not stand a chance. In the latter case there is usually a non parent adult that the kids use as a role model, extended family or an excellent school teacher come to mind.

[rxkeith]

my opinion, everybody wants to hear it right???

the two greatest dangers for our young people today are social media, and the public school system.

social media is a land mine that young people are ill equipped to navigate in.
social media can literally destroy a persons life. just recently an 18 year old marquette area kid killed
himself over material he had shared on social media. seemed to be a good kid, good student, now he is 18
forever. we are not on social media. my son is not allowed on social media. we have explained things to him
and he is ok with it. he is aware of area kids who have posted things on social media that should not have been posted.
parents keep your kids off social media or else monitor them like a hawk. do not feel you have to apologize for it or make
an excuse for it.

the public school system, where do i start.
first, you want a safe environment for your kids. is having an armed guard in a restricted access building make for
a safe environment for your kid?

second, we believe that the public school system is broken beyond repair. the curriculum has been dumbed down.
the federal government keeps coming up with new programs to fix the problem they created in the first place, the
latest being common core. my wife and i know a lot of teachers between church, work, and the community. wife had
eleven teachers on her side of the family at one point. i am not knocking the teachers. its not their fault. teachers today
have it hard. some parents when you talk to them are worse than the students when discussing grades or behavior.
one teacher i know says many of his b and c students went down a grade due to the repeated school closures due to covid.

as a parent of a kid who has been home schooled his whole life, i think home schooling is the way to go.
you can't possibly do any worse than some of the public schools. one of you is going to have to spend more time with
your kid. you may have a reduced income for a number of years, but i think your kid is worth it. we had family members
that were initially concerned that we were going to home school. what about socialization? how is he going to compete?
were some of the questions asked of us. no one is asking those questions any more.
we have a good son. he is smart, personable, hard working, responsible, a very likeable young man. he is comfortable with
being around the very young, and the elderly population. would he be the same if he had gone to public school? i dunno.
think hard about home schooling your kid, or grand kid.


keith

[worth1]

Okay now I have someone on the crew that is 17 years old.
Just graduated from school this year.
Holy bejibbers.

[rxkeith]

no old habits to break if they are young worth.
heckuva lot of training required, just like a puppy.
give him lots of praise when he does something good.
maybe a treat or two.
and remember, he is a teenager. just because he is looking at
you, and nodding when you say something to him doesn't mean he
is fully listening says the father of a teenager.
i hope the kid works out.


keith

[rxkeith]

i learned something new today.
this is from a guy that comes into the store each week with his golden retriever that is a trained
therapy dog. he and "finn" go visiting at an assisted care facility then afterwards they come and see us,
and finn gets a treat.

apparently on ohio waters, if you are towing a water skier, you must have a spotter at least 14 years of age
on board in order to notify the captain of the boat when the skier goes into the water. this guy had a labrador
retriever that he trained to bark if the skier went into the drink. local law enforcement wasn't impressed, and the
gentleman was issued a ticket. his day in court comes, and the guy says to the judge that no where in the law does it
say that the spotter has to be a human. the judge agreed.
case dismissed.


keith

[worth1]

@rxkeith
The 17 year old was home schooled and spent the last couple of years or so at a private religious school.
Very respectful and attentive.
The other guy 23 was always trying to put one over on me and always on the phone looking at stuff.
One time he was doing it while I was trying to give instructions or something and I jumped him out about disrespecting me.
Did it in front of everyone.
Was also wanting to fist bump all the time.
Told him I wasn't into it.
Always had some sort of excuse for everything.
Well I guess he didn't like to be told what to do and getting called out on his BS so he quit.
Lasted 4 days.
He is not missed.
Better to weed it out sooner than later.

[worth1]

Also the 17 year old knew about the The Treaty of Tordesillas.
He is the only person I've met that knew of it.
Yet another plus for home schooling and the likes.
Kid definitely isn't woke either.
Plus he knows about electricity and the difference between AC and DC.