Wednesday, May 21, 2008
It's strange not having the free time to do the things I usually have done during the course of the day, now that I'm working…including things like writing in this journal. Yesterday was my first day at my new job. I drove my truck to the engineering firm not having a clue what to expect. Mr. Samuel, the owner of the firm, met me at the front desk, and took my in the back to fill out all the necessary paperwork. He told me the firm was divided into three land surveying teams. Each team has a lead, a transitman, and a rodman. Of course, the team lead drives the van, makes sure everything we need is supplied, and makes decisions in the field. The transitman operates the transit, which is a sophisticated piece of equipment that helps find and identify certain sports and writes them down in the journal. The rodman literally holds a tall rod so the transitman can locate certain points and how high up the point is. As a rodman, I also used what's called a plumb bob…which is a pointed weight attached to a string. The point goes on a specific point on the ground, and the transitman records exactly where the string is in relation to where he's set up. It's really very interesting. After I filled out my paperwork, Mr. Samuel introduced me to my team members, Norman (team lead) and Greg (transitman)…really great guys. After we loaded the van up, we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, which they do every day, and then hit the road. I was already full from bagels, but got some hotcakes and coffee to be part of the team. We then went to a site on the other side of Newport Beach where they're constructing a car dealership warehouse. We had to "stake" the building for the construction workers. Using our equipment, we found the exact corners of the building. First Greg found the general area of the corners using his transit and me making a mark in the ground. Then I hammered what's called a hub into the ground…which is a triangular piece of wood. Then using the plumb bob, Greg directs me where exactly to place the point on the hub. That makes a small mark on the hub, and then a pin is hammered on the exact spot…usually done by Norman. Then we put a stake in the ground next to it with colored ribbon so the hub can easily be found. This is the same procedure that's done when people find out where their property lines are. Staking the warehouse took the whole day. We took a break for lunch, walking to a local sandwich shop and sitting under a tree near the van. At the end of the day, we drove back to the firm, unloaded what had to be put back, and headed home. I had a darn good first day…very interesting. It will be neat to see this warehouse go up, knowing I helped stake the building, and knowing the corners will be exactly where I had set down the plumb bob.
When I got home, I couldn't wait to take a shower because it was another hot and sunny day. I first stopped into the main house, but Sandy and Kirsten were not there. I found Taylor and Sophie dancing to disco music. I watched for a few minutes before letting them know I was there. When Sophie saw me, she came running across the room to give me a big hug…not caring I didn't smell all that well. It's amazing how well she walks and runs already. Watching Taylor with Sophie is really great, and I saw the same look in her eyes as I picked Sophie up and hugged her. I have no doubt Taylor and I will have our own little ones running around that exact room.
OK, off to work. I wonder what Norman, Greg, and I will be doing today…