Workplace Stories (18): Newlywed At Large(!)

I wrote how we got embarrassed in the previous about work. Newlywed was completely vanished from the face of Earth after that. I didn't see he until after two days one of the other guys, whom I would like to use the Mirchi for him, told him that he had presumably left for his native land because his father was in critical condition. He added that he didn't completely the story although he had been told by the Engineering Manager. He simply stated that an emergency trip would have been not been planned for more than a week while this guy is gone for three!

Mirchi is a rival of Newlywed although they show friendly faces to each other. They talk behind each others back. Newlywed mocks Mirchi and says he once went to his native Pakistan and married a girl in a week! The whole dating, engagement and wedding took a week he says! While I'm not surprised and these things are common in East, he could have been exaggerating! 

Anyways I tried Newlywed's number the very same day I heard the story and got the voice message without any ring. So he could be away but it could be a play too. He could simply has turned his telephone off. On the same day that we were going to the fabrication shop he told me that he liked American culture because if the couple don't like each other, they don't have to stay married for ever while it's not mostly like that in East. I totally agree with him although the time has changed many things. These days couples don't remain married if they are not comfortable around each other. We'll see if any noise is coming off this immature idiot. The Mumbling Guy would be a good source to see what happened to Newlywed but he's away now. 

Workplace Stories (17): Pathetic Losers

We had this visit to one fabricator a few days ago, planned for us 1 week ahead. I was happy that I could get the fuck out of the damn office and experience something. Our schedule stated clearly 16:00 as the time of meeting so we got there 5 min. earlier. We realized upon arrival that the bastards from the Client side had ditched us! According to the fabricator guys they had met them more than 5 hours earlier, had done all of the documentation and left. 

We were both so upset and pissed off! They treated us like crap and basically said indirectly that we didn't exist! I couldn't help it and said a few nasty thing about the fucking assholes and we left after half an hour.

We got back to the office and told the story to The Screamer and of course added more and more and exaggerated but not very much! He happily agreed and promised to discuss that with the fucking Client. Newlywed as well was upset and frustrated and I pilled on. We didn't talk after we returned because he was mad as me as well. He believed I had overreacted. He might have been right. I hate it when someone treats me like I don't exist. 

Anyways The Screamer wrote to the Client explaining the situation and basically complained. The interesting thing is the guy didn't even give a shit and came back with a bigger punch. He stated in his response that he had never seen such a compliant and since going to the facility early was a better idea, they had done it! 

Here was where I felt that The Screamer and all of us are nothing but pathetic losers! We can't even complain to the Client when they treat us like crap because our existence depends on them. If they do not select us to do their job, we are doomed! They are the Master and we are the Servant! Just Pathetic! I don't want to say anything about the ethnicity of the motherfucker who wrote that bouncing response to The Screamer but I can say that she is nothing but a piece of shit bastard! 

(Photo: I found this picture of a painting showing a master and his servant in a Blogger blog by accident. I hope the owner does not mind me using it here. My intention is just to depict the relationship between the company I work for [the kneeling guy] and our Client!)

Another Skating Course Finished

I would have attended the last session of our Skating course next Thu.. If I have not had this trip planned. So today was my last. It was a very fun time and we both enjoyed a lot and we learnt a lot as well. Our instructor, as usual was a Caucasian young girl and she was good, but not as good as the previous level's. No complaint though. This sport requires lots of practice similar to other ones and it is much harder to keep the practice going because its facilities are limited and expensive but this year we were quite active. 

We went to Olympic Plaza several times as well Crowchild Twin Arenas. I even went to Carburn Park and Bowness Park each once at least and we had a very fun day in the Oval on Family Day. If everything goes well I would either register for Level 3 or Speed Skating. The later requires a suit and different skates but I'll see how everything goes.

(Photo: This sort of sculpture is erected by Olympic Oval and I had not seen it clearly until today(!) because we always get there when it's dark! Today with Daylight Saving and being almost in the middle of March I got the chance to get a shot of this nice gesture of a skater. He or she is at the starting line ready for the shot)

No to Fitbit Charge

We know that the giant companies in West continuously are thinking of different ways to see how they can make money by introducing new products and services that the majority of people do not necessarily need them. A good example of it is Apple which introduces a new handset every six month or so. Not that I ever have purchased or will ever posses one!

That being said, I checked the Windows Store in Chinook Center a few days ago and realized they have this promotion for Fitbit products which you can get up to $50 when you replace your device with a new one. I wanted to change my Flex and get a Charge considering that Charge calculates the elevation and related consumed energy. So I checked with one of the guys and he said if I had brought the charging cable, he would have given me $15 discount on the new device, a Charge that I had wanted to buy.

A few days passed and this time I went there with the wristband and charging cable, both. First they were not very willing to help due to the timing which was close to closure. Eventually a horrible girl came out of her hole and after a few minutes of so-called observation and calculation she came up with $7.5! I realized that she was trying to screw me up. Some people do not like certain others. There's nothing that I can do about that. I gave it up not just because she intended to deprive me from the promotion but also because that is not a big deal that I should pay more than $100 for. 

I keep doing my exercises and keep checking the results in my PC.
(Photo: Microsoft Store in Chinook Center, Calgary)

Easy Hike to Kananaskis Ice Cave

I had this Ice Cave in Kananaskis in my schedule, the unwritten one(!) for a bit of a time and wanted to go in the last week of Feb. but a snowfall warning stopped me. I knew the hike would be easy but considering the steepness of the path and considerable plunge of the temperature I postponed it until this weekend. I was still not sure whether or not I wanted to go last night but finally set my Fitbit's silent alarm on 05:55 and woke up on time. 

I felt beaten and I sat on the chair in the living room for about 10 min. I knew I would have gone back to sleep, had I headed to the bedroom but at the same time I knew I needed exercise. I eventually headed out at about 06:30 or something but not being mentally ready for the trip I missed my coffee stop and had to go back to get one. Then I thought maybe I should go to the south of the city and just do a little walking in a park but that sounded boring to me so I turned back and before hitting Highway 8 I felt I needed something so I go a bagel sandwich from a Tim Horton's and that way I guess I wasted some 1 hour and a half! I managed to get myself to Canyon Creek Road eventually and started the hike at almost 09:00. Some have said that the road to the trail-head of Ice Cave should be biked but I found that silly and unnecessary The road was so beautiful and although I was not there were early there was not a soul on the way. 

The road is marked by milestones and according to my information I should have reached the trail-head after 7 km but I didn't see any sign after the 4th! 

Ice column is shaped inside the cave. There were many of them but not a big one close to the entrance where I saw them

Shell Canada have facilities and equipment all around the road and in fact I guess there are the ones that I saw last year when I was going to Moose Mountain. Nevertheless the road ends at a Shell Canada facility which Authorized Persons Only sign could be seen but I though I saw the entrance to the cave from distance so I crossed to the lot and went over concrete blocks which go around the equipment area and found another sign for hikers. The sign does not indicate anything in regards to the hike but it's for fishers. I found footsteps and a narrow path going up and I was sure it led to the cave. I just didn't understand what happened to other 3 km! The path was icy and steep so I put my spikes on and continued to the top. Yes! That was the cave. The view of the valley from the top was beautiful but the bummer was that I realized had forgotten a good flashlight and my headlight does not have enough battery! So I didn't go deep enough in the cave. I found a few pieces of ice on the ground which had been obviously shaped by the droplets coming off the top of the cave. They were nice but I had come for me. No choice. I had to head back. 

I saw a few fellas on foot or on bikes on my way back and could find myself at the parking lot at almost 12:30. Very easy hike but not bad for a mild winter day. 

(Photo, top: Canyon Creek is seen from the entrance of Ice Cave. I like its blue colour)

Preheat in Welding and Similar Situations

I have written about this earlier but when I was in the engineering school, taking my first, I would call them technical courses, I was a bit terrified of the possible mistake I could do and mess up the whole production line mid-through the course. This fear later on went away. I don’t know how but maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the courses and failed a few! I really don’t remember and it doesn't matter now.

 Then starting work in the industry, I soon realized that most of the nonsense we studies in those years were only theory. No one, literally no one ever or barely utilizes them in the work and they were only good to pass hours in the classroom, pass the examinations and get the damn bachelor’s degree. Of course high-tech industry uses them but how many companies we have around the world and how many educated people we have in those companies who are really in to that.

 With that in mind I was reading the newly issued CSA Standard W59-13, that part about preheating of weld. This section has a big table (called Table 5.3) which tells you for what welding process and what thickness of base metal, what the pre-heat temperature should be.

For instance if you have between 20 and 40 mm of thickness using SMAW process and your consumables of Hydrogen Designation of less than H4, you need to apply 50° C heat prior to commence welding. This temperature should remain the same during the course welding, when the base metal is below the temperature listed the surface of the parts on which the weld metal is being deposited are at or above the minimum stated temperature for distance equal to the thickness of the thickness of the part being welded but not less than 75 mm, both laterally and in advance of welding.

 This more sounds like a stupid joke to me that if I told, no one would laugh at it. First of all who is going to check that temperature? The welder wouldn't do it because all he or rarely she wants to do is to finish the damn weld and get to his favorite bar for his beer. Welding inspector for sure wouldn’t do it. Welding inspectors are mostly a damn fool who wait until the welding is finished and then start their inspection! Unlike what is said that quality control should be proactive, not reactive, the majority of quality control actions are reactive in the industry. How about the welding supervisor? He is probably busy somewhere in a filthy office by the phone and even if he was not and really wanted to check the temperature, how would he do it? Does he have a thermometer on him?! Never!

 Even theoretically an inspection package available in the market for the inspectors does not contain a thermometer of any kind. So this is another reason as why most of the things we read in the standards, textbooks and specifications are all silly nonsense! I have a few photos of popular weld inspection sets for welding. None of them includes a thermometer of any kind. I guess I made my point. 

(Photo: A modern Welding Inspection Kit comprises of different tools but no thermometer of any kind. I have a gauge given to me by The Cheapskate, never used it so far unless for practice)