Just another aspect of the trade

I've been with my new contractor for about a month now and it's another completely different experience not only working for a smaller shop but type work I've been doing. In my first year with Perl I did a little bit of outside work on rooftops and a little lightning protection but for the past months just about everything I've done has been in the ground. Most of the work consist of running pvc, getting boxes in with the masons, setting up pole bases, and finding pipes that have already been buried in the ground which happens to be one of my least favorites. You can say this is new to me but I've noticed that it's all still pretty much the same thing. I've dug dirt before I've ran plenty of pipe and I've set wire and pulled pipe before so the different circumstances of which they are done doesn't really take much time to adapt to. I kind of expected to feel green again and take a while to get adjusted so I feel much better than I've gotten a chance to get my feet wet in this part of the trade. I find myself talking to a lot of guys about their different experiences and not being able to find envious thinking that I might be missing out on some of the good experiences I need to make myself more valuable. I guess in due time it will all come so I try to breath easy but sometimes my nature just won't let me. All and all I'm enjoying my experiences with the new company and once my raise finally comes which it seems I missed somehow by 40 hours :-\, I'll definitely be a much more happy camper.

On to the next one

So today was my last day as a Mona employee. I'm kind of excited and about transferring and getting a change of scenery but at the same time I still have my reservations. I'm going from a very large contractor to a much smaller contractor and I've been told a lot of different things some good and some bad but come Monday I'll find out for myself. It's funny how things work out though, it seems like every time I feel i start to get good and comfortable at a task my new contractor throws me for a spin by doing something completely different. This definitely isn't a bad thing though my goal as an electricity is to have a pretty solid foundation in every part of our industry. At my first contractor Perlectric it was mostly tenant work with a little with a little bit of base building. At Mona I worked on existing fire alarm systems in completely occupied buildings with a good bit of preventive maintenance and occasional general electric work. Now as of Monday I will be running bus duct and from my understanding basically be setting up from the utility to the building outside in the dirt. Honestly I've been kind of anxious to do some deck work just because I've heard so many mechanics speak of it in their experiences as if it was some right of passage, so I'm excited to get my hands dirty and acquire one more stepping stone on my path to becoming a knowledgeable worthy mechanic

Finally finish with multilink

So for the past few months I been strictly on a wire mold crew installing raceway for the outside hallways of a condos. Now the first few days actually were cool dealing with multilink which we don't typically install too much of to my knowledge. But after about 30 floors of doing the same thing over and over again with no deviation and the same crew it was a bit tiresome. I am happy to say today we finished the last floor and I will be more than happy to get back to running some pipe and trading in my tinsnips and razors for channel locks and a hacksaw. Don't get me wrong I am appreciative to have acquired a new talent and been working steadily but what can I say I'm a young eager apprentice who wants to learn it all.

Things to look forward to

Well 3 books down and 2 more to go until night school. School really slowed down my class but we've finally made it. I kind of glad we're done with our more OSHA dominated curriculum, and I'm hoping to see some more theory and technical stuff and I'm pretty anxious to learn about motor controls. But most of all I can't wait for the upcoming raise when I transition from a 2nd year to a 3rd year in a few months. This will be my biggest raise up to date. One cool thing is I was so focused on the 3rd year raise that I completely forgot about the contractual raise that just kicked in. So that was a little nice surprise. Lastly I'll be transferring in August. It was cool to learn fire alarm but I'm looking pretty forward to taking on some new and old responsibilities. I can't wait to see what the up coming months bring I just hope things continue the way they've been going.

My thoughts on fire alarm

I've been in Mona's Life Safety division now for about 9 months and it's definitely been different been different from my previous construction job experiences. We have generally been replacing old systems so I've been in nothing but exist businesses during business hours. Working around finished carpets and walls and clients means you have to be a lot more conscientious of your environment so not to be intrusive or disruptive. The crews also seem a little more reserved than what I become accustomed to. I think as an electrician though fire alarm has really helped further my understanding of circuitry. In fire alarm you have to be able to identify characteristics of circuits pretty easily in order to function. Mishaps such as ground faults, reverse polarities, missing devices, troubles and dreaded false alarms that dump the building can easily turn a good day real bad. Right now I'm trying to make the best of my time here and absorb as much as I can but every now and again I do miss being surrounded by nothing but concrete and guys you might not find in an office building.

Life after work

I think I'm finally adjusting to this new 8 to 4:15pm work schedule. I used to be home around 2:30pm everyday and be able to lay down, go to the gym eat maybe watch a little tv play a game or 2 and it still felt like my day after work went by fast. Now I'm home usually around 5:30pm and now time really flies. At first I'd just lay down or chill and relax and before I knew it, it was bedtime. I recently started to go to the gym on the way home from work and try to avoid the little nap, and also cut down on the tv and computer time so my days are starting to feel a little more balance.

Rough Month

The past month it seems like I been out of it. At work it sometimes feels like I'm just going through motions, days just drag on and I can't tell the difference between Friday and Monday. Not exactly why that is I'm sure getting off at 4:15pm oppose to 2:00pm and getting home with just a few hours before bedtime has a little something to do with it but o'well that's life. Through I do find when I'm allowed to just work on my own plan my own pipe runs and things of that such the day does go by much faster. Hopefully some warm weather or something will help me pick things up :-\