New "Job"

The other day, I just decided I have to make a thousand dollars a day as an electrician, or its just not worth it, I'll join my budy, playing in the dirt with the skid steer, making $1000 a day.  I should have been more specific in my decision making.  8 hour days, 100 days a year, I don't know.

Shortly after I get the phone call.  50 houses to wire, all identical, back to back and framed up.  I never thought I could compete in the new construction cookie cutter mass production market.  Two weeks of fine tuning my game, 16 hour days, and getting covered in mud.  I can do a house a day.  One house, one day.  Now he wants 8 wired this week.  Thats more than one a day, just saying.

50, turned into 150, in two weeks.  What does that mean.  There is no light at the end of the tunel, its getting further away.  In two weeks, 14 days, I have wired 10 homes, and I still have other comitments I do at night and the odd day.  Instead of just 36 homes left to wire, there is now 136 homes left to wire.  I feel like I just got myself a "job"  I have four and a half months work if I work every day, 7 days a week, 12 hours a day.  But I have no doubt the number will get bigger again, and I will have work all year, which is good I guess.  No need to dream up interesting things to do in the winter.  I can just work like every one else.

I have lots of video and stories about the jobsite, but it all requires editing.  I just got one clip today that I'm not going to ediit, but rather upload as it is and goto sleep.   This is just a video of the Zoom Boom on site, put in the ditch.  Its pretty awesome to look at.

Whats New

Chickens

We have 2 chickens living in our front yard.  Everybody walking by is very entertained by them.  Our mail man, who has been trying for 2 years to NOT deliver our mail, got us written up by the Canada Post.  The official letter stated that our mail has become undeliverable, because we have lose chickens in the yard that might escape.  Thats bullshit cause they were flying out of the yard and back in on their own the week we got the letter.  They have never gone through the gate nor have they tried.
But you know before that it was the dogs, then it was some dog poop, then an extention cord was left out he was afraid he would slip or trip on it.  Or the snow wasn't shoveled enough for him.  Our mail man is just a dick.  We don't want to push the chicken issue, we feel lucky enough that everyone loves them, even our racist neighbor that doesn't like black people, loves our black chickens.  Truth is we don't know if we are allowed to have chickens in the city or not.  There is lots online about trying to approve 2 chickens per house, but nothing saying it has been approved.  So we keep 14 chickens out in Andrew, and 2 in the city.

Vehicles

Got a new van, big ol long Ford Econoline Club Wagon.  Seats have all gone in the garbage, and its filled w tools and wire.
The Astro is going good w its new trans, and Lincoln locker.   Really looking forward to driving that next winter in the snow, like four wheel drive, all at the back tires.
Nobody wants to buy my motorbike for cash.  Lots of people want to trade something, not even a phone call from someone with cash.
The old dodge is done.  I am going to take my many accessories off it and scrap the rest this summer.  The motor has troubles, the brakes have had troubles since the trailer brakes failed in the mexico mountains.  I did replace the pads, but rotors and god knows what else needs replacing now too.  This spring I did have a little fun with the dodge.  I was going to set it up for advertising, make it a real head turner, and decal it out.  Nothing show quality, just a WTF quality.  but I realized how unsafe and underpowered it is since I got the 1 ton Huderite van (Ford Econoline)  Here is a vid of the cold air intake I put on the dodge this spring.

http://youtu.be/UhHHEWhoOwY

Equiptment

I haven't got the Ditchwitch mini skid steer running on both cylinders yet, dispite lots of work done to it.  Amazingly it still managed to lift the 700lb 6.2 diesel into the back of the 1 ton, with a 200lb bucket on it.  I should have got video of that but didn't have a camera guy.

I did find a 1974 ish ditch witch for sale at a garage sale.  I purchased that for cheep, then I will remove the bar and reduction gears and put it on my skid steer.  that will be a real money maker.  I'll have a video up the motor from that sometime soon.  It is an amazingly huge and heavy 12hp Wisconsin engine.  I actually just like having it sit in my shop to look at it, its a nice looking old engine.

Work

I'm busy with work, as I am every summer.  We are thinking of buying another place this winter to renovate over the winter, wile things are slow.   I have guy that is a pro at flipping houses that wants to partner up on a home.  I have lots I want to learn from him.  Not so much how he does it but how he does it so fast.  He will replace every thing, make the place beautiful, in a month, working weekends and evenings after his full time job.

Babies

No babies yet, besides the 14 chicks we hatched this spring.  Michelle is destressing about kids in Germany rite now with her long time friend from Toronto.

Zombie Apocalypse

The Zombie Apocalypse as I like to refer to it, other wise known as the end of the myan calendar, dooms day, what ever.  Having our furnace go out a couple of times last year, and having a water pipe freeze and explode really made us aware how reliant we are on electricity and such in the winter months.  No electricity, no heat.  No heat no water.  So we have some solar panels and batteries, for the basement.  I am getting a pellet stove, just for the ease of installation.  I would like a wood stove, but its going in the basement and the pipe will then have to be vented 3 stories up.  Don't know if you have ever bought three stories of zero clearance pipe before, but it costs more than the stove.  Pellet stove goes rite out the side of the house like a new style furnace.  Also we don't own this house, and you know insurance won't even pay for the fire truck if  "they didn't approve" your wood stove installation.