Site notes

So in my last post I talked about what I do on site and now I am going to briefly describe what I see. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take photographs so you all will just have to use your poor old imaginations! We are in the middle of farmland and grasslands. The soil is deep red and the vegetation is pretty thin and low to the ground. There are few trees on site although I am sure that has to do mainly with the "clear and grub" that is done to prepare the area for work. What we are working on now is the earthworks for infrastructure work that will be happening. Basically that means that there is lots of dirt, rock, and more dirt and not much else.

Besides dirt we also have some fabulous creatures. And by creatures I mean insects. And by insects I mean HUGE bugs that look like they are on steroids. The other day I looked out the window and noticed these dark things on the screen. After looking closer, I realized they were giant cicadas the size of my fingers, not my pinky, probably closer to middle... Definitely prehistoric looking. I have also seen beetles the size of my fist and there has been a six foot long snake lurking around. On the upside, we have lots of cute kangaroos and Todd and I saw an emu the other day on the way to work. It is really nice to be working outside and we have made our commute fly by by reading to each other. We have just started Harry Potter, Todd's first time. I have to admit that I may have forced him into starting it but now he loves it! Yay reading time.

Despite my inability to take pictures on site, I promise to get a picture of me in my getup soon!

In a sea of orange

A couple of weeks ago, I craned my neck over our neighbors fence (not really, the fences are short), and could see clothesline after clothesline hung with orange fluorescent shirts. They were in different states of wear, from bright to faded by the sun, but they were all the characteristic of a construction home. Well now we have joined the ranks...

These last 11 days on site have been exhausting, nerve-wracking, fun and extremely educational. Todd wasted no time and threw me into the deep end. I have a variety of duties: general admin stuff (organize registers, send emails, etc), surveying field work, and surveying office work. I have to say that the last two are definitely my favorite. My field work is pretty basic at the moment. I go out with a device that receives GPS signal and a controller for the device to measure points. There are people on site who test the soil in different areas to make sure it conforms to specific guidelines and I go out with them and measure exactly where they do those tests. Make sense? I also helped Todd and Russ a bit with some other field work but it is a lot to take in all at once. 

My surveying office work has to do with this program called Terramodel that Todd is an absolute genius with. Basically I take the points I measured out in the field and import them into the program so they can be seen on the design of the site. Of course I am oversimplifying things a bit, but it is pretty basic stuff and I now have it down pat. Todd is a fantastic teacher and has started me on these basic plans but I am already progressing to learn more and more complex commands. Apparently I am already helping out heaps as he said the other day that I am already more valuable as a surveying assistant than as an admin person and if it was just us, he would have to hire someone else so my time wasn't occupied by silly stuff. Honestly, it is just incredibly fun to learn more about what he does and tackle a whole new industry! It is all part of my plan for world domination, well orange-clothed world domination anyways... :)

Impressions

So we all know that first impressions are very important but I have learned that they can also, often, be very wrong. Because of this, I am going to hold off delving into the details of my glimpse into the construction world and just say: if business offices were run like construction sites, business would fail, Todd is just as brilliant as I knew he was (and more of a leader than he likes to think), and that everyone is just as nice, albeit as crude as I expected. I must say that I only worked on site for one day so far and so after my next stint (10 days) I will let you know more of my impressions.

To further entertain you, Todd and I celebrated our first semi-Passover together apart from my family. Last year we were at the Erman's house for the first night (fun times!), but this year we had no matzah, no haggadahs or matzah balls and no manischewitz. Very sad indeed but we made due with charoset, vanilla flavored vodka in black current juice, brisket and a showing of "The Prince of Egypt" with Russ. Over all, a very fun night :)

Luckily we had this Passover/Easter weekend off so we spent it doing so much needed spring cleaning. Most of it is not picture worthy, but look at this handy earring organizer I made out of velcro and a clothes hanger! Fun brain explosion right there :)

It's a mad man's world

So some of you know how much hoop-la and shenanigans Todd and I have to go through over the past few months. We have been trying to get me out on site so I can help him and the other surveyors and maybe learn a thing or two. We (well I) had to write safety, quality and environmental management plans,  contracts, letters, and wait for the HR department to decide if they wanted to wield their all powerful pen and sign me off... dangit. In any case, I have FINALLY been given the go ahead and I start my life as a construction worker (y-ech) tomorrow with my induction.

Well dad, you wanted me to write about how things are different here, this will definitely give me more than enough fodder. Of course, I really have no idea what the US construction industry is like but this will all be a new world for me. Don't worry, Todd has been training me in the ways of the workers. We have been going to many safety shops, I have eaten at the construction camp twice, and he has taught me how to play nice with the other kiddies in the hard hats. Seriously though, this will be an experience!

Ps. Don't worry, pictures of me in my awesome new fashionable orange to come!

Photo Wednesday

Just cause...look at that sky! 

Wedding fever

Mom, deep breaths, I am not talking about myself :) No wedding fever/ jitters/ plans/ announcements for me but it seems that I definitely have hit the age where everyone is getting engaged. I had two friends from high school (not just acquaintances, friends!) get engaged last week. To clarify, not to each other, but wow, two!

This past weekend Todd and I escaped down to Tassie for his sister Jodie's wedding. The wedding was held at his parent's house and it was a very simple but beautifully elegant affair. The bride and groom each have children from previous marriages and the union of their new happy family was adorable. I am sure you have heard me mention Blake and Lara before but now there are two new kids to add to the bunch.

Jodie arrived by boat, walked down the jetty and met Jonathan on the river bank. They exchanged simple vows and rings, the children only squirmed a bit, and the party commenced from there. The weather could not have been more perfect and Jodie could not have seemed happier. Everything was just as it should be.

The jetty later that day- the tide is completely covering it!

The present I made them- a map of where they met and other bits of Tassie :)

Old Business/ New Business

As many of you know, I have been working for Todd (aka. Milestone Survey) for a few months now. I help him with all his admin, record keeping, office stuff, logo design work, etc. Basically, I am his right hand (and sometimes also left hand) woman. The structure of that may change a bit soon but I won't spill until details are confirmed.

As many of you also know, and this bit is more exciting, I have been working for a few weeks as the Marketing Manager of an eco-friendly company called Way Basics (www.waybasics.com). I found out about this company (and met the CEO) through a friend at Berkeley and I have to say that it is a great match. I love working with the Way Basics team and there is a lot of room for growth which will be fun to watch.  You all should go check them out and poke around. Their furniture and storage units are made of zBoard, this 99% recycled paper product that is produced in Taiwan. The furniture is good for the environment, formaldehyde free, much easier to put together than following the IKEA stick-figures, and strong enough to stand on (I tried!).

The company slogan is building possibilities and they truly live up to their motto. Way Basics is now (as of last week) the official US distributor of a new, arty line of hand bags called Jump From Paper (www.jumpfrompaper.us). These bags are huge in Japan and they are already generating some attention in the states so yay, go team! :)

I know I was just doing some shameless plugging here but I thought what I am doing (on the business side) in my spare time might be of interest to you all.

Some more self-plugging:

The logo I created for Todd 

The logo modified for Todd's fancy car