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Ourdee
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 06:17 pm: | 
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I had a friend that I scheduled cakes with 5 months in advance. She was a bonafide pastry chef. True artist. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 06:31 pm: |
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Matthew...
Thanks.
Howard, Joe, thanks for the advice. I'm waaay ahead of youn's- I'm wearing Hytest ankle high boots, steel toe, industrial yadda yadda. My insoles came from the Hanger Clinic after my podiatrist sent me there for plantar fasciitis, for the low low price of about $340.00. I'll be pulling my fancy foot bath/massage rig soon, and I'm really enjoying the hot tub. Expecting to lose weight with this job, which will help with the feet.
Howard, very good point on maintaining my old skill set. In restaurant work I've done everything except sautee and broil, including management. This COVID19 crap unfortunately has forever altered the restaurant industry... as much as I loved doing my job, hate to say, but there's no future in that for me. I've got lots of call customers, that's the end goal for bartending or table service, and that's good moolah. But what good moolah was will never be again.
I do, however still have my large range of springforms, know how to make killer cheesecakes and other desserts.  |
86129squids
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 08:56 am: |
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Well, I made it through the first week. Thankfully I've got a 3 day weekend (what's THAT like?!), and I'm in process of getting the yard done. Tomorrow will be finishing the garden, setting up irrigation, Monday, who knows?
Other than the adjustment to early hours and a full 40 of them worked weekly, one thing I'm concerned about is the coming hot summer. I'm already working in and out of a 450 degree oven repeatedly throughout the day, so I'm looking for the best methods of keeping cool. Thankfully they've got a fridge in the middle of our work area- I'll probably get some cooling wraps and cycle them in and out of the freezer as I work.
Other ideas? |
Fireboltwillie
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 09:53 am: |
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stay hydrated.... cold water often... |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 10:01 am: |
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Yes 
TECHKEWL Phase Change Cooling Vest (1 Vest) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DX5INX0/ref=cm_sw_r_c p_api_i_KWNYEb2S8A916
I wear this while working outside in 100 degree Texas summers. Stays cool for about three hours. I have extra cool packs. Easy to swap when needed. They contain some kind of alcohol based liquid that changes to a solid at 58 degrees. They’re cold, but not ice cold, so it’s not uncomfortable next to your skin. This vest changed my relationship with the weather here and enables be to be outside longer. Packs take 30 minutes to ‘recharge’ in a freezer, but you can also put them in a cooler full of ice. Recall that they go solid at 58 degrees. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 10:05 am: |
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I loaned my vest to the guy who came out to replace the evaporator in my AC system. The evaporator is in the attic. Has to be 130 up there. He ended up buying vests for all his guys. |
Fireboltwillie
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 11:17 am: |
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^^^that's a fantastic idea! I need one of those here in Florida for yardwork. |
Crusty
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 11:32 am: |
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Recall that they go solid at 58 degrees.
That doesn't mean it won't get colder. Steel gets solid at 2500º F, yet if you lick it at 20º F your tongue will stick to it as the spittle freezes. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 11:37 am: |
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That’s true. But steel doesn’t have the same properties as this phase change alcohol. It’s not ice cold. Ice would be painful after just a few minutes. This isn’t. |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 07:04 pm: |
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It occurs to me that this new job will make it easier for you to come to March Badness and Buelltoberfest. |
Ourdee
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 07:18 pm: |
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Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2020 - 08:00 pm: |
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Those vests sound great. So many of the products made rely on evaporation. That’s not very effective when it’s 90%+ relative humidity like it is in so much of the south during the summer. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2020 - 09:42 am: |
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I love you guys! Keep on with the keeping cool ideas- given your endorsement, Hoot, I put that on my "list", but I'll keep looking for more inexpensive options.
$170 aint cheap, but I can see its value in extreme heat. I didn't look, but do they have hats?
Matthew, that's an accurate observation. Expecting to hear from my mechanic sometime this week about what the Beemer might need- when I dropped it off I mentioned that I thought it had a bad bearing in the transmission, but as we rolled it off my truck, he listened to it and said "Probably clutch". He's that kind of wrench, really knows his stuff. I dunno what I'll do when he retires.
Anyhoo, I'm very grateful to be off today and observing Memorial Day. Looking forward to a 4 day work week this week, with the trepidation that comes with learning a completely new job. Also with great interest in all the things going on, always something different. My main focus is taking in all the details, slowly, and hopefully not screwing things up. The guy teaching me is very good and fast at his job, but as a trainer/teacher, kind of a nice/strange hard ass. The guy we both answer to told me as much in the beginning. At least he seems to like me, so I've got that. He'd mentioned he was in the service- anyone heard of a "Black Beret"? Said he was part of the team that went after Saddam Hussein and his army. Sometime I'll have to ask if there is anything he hasn't done.
After today, we've got rain all week, so I'll see what the humidity's like at work this week. I'll keep posting up as things progress.
Edit- just got back to scanning this vest thingy, looks like Amazon will get $142. I'd gone a different direction chasing prices. As I'd always said with restaurant work, the proper gear makes all the difference. Shoes, wine keys, pens, etc. Heck, I should just get one for summer riding. I usually ride with stuff to eat in a small cooler- just get one big enough for extra gel cool paks and room to stuff the vest's paks in, c'est voila! Wonder how much a 2nd set would cost to be able to cycle in/out those vest paks.
Upon further review, it's probably that I'll grab one of those. More study needed.
Had 3 days of constant work this weekend. At this writing I've FINALLY got all my tomatoes and peppers in, replacing some failing tomatoes. Also planted 3-4 winter rose plants, 3-4 peonies, 3 miniature white roses, plus some weeding. Yesterday I managed to re-attach my awning, then re-filled bird feeders, hummy feeders, then random lazies before a hot-dog and potato salad dinner. Saturday was spent on the yard, which sorely needed attention- mowed, weedeated, blowed, then attempted 2 different flatbreads for dinner. One was pepperoni/cheese/spinach, with M's homemade pizza sauce, the other was to have been chicken pesto with parmesan and spinach. M had stripped the meat off of a huuuge chicken breast, set it aside for me. As I began prepping the flatbreads... where's the chicken? Found the empty container on the floor, found the lid...? We deduced that it had to have been a stealth Basenji strike. That was a good 6oz or more of bird, grrr. So, I substituted Aidell's chicken sausage margherita, which had a very similar flavor profile. Dinner didn't suck, but it wasn't perfect either.
Trying to ramp up my stamina and strength, and maintain the positive open mind. This work is hard. I know many of youn's are easily familiar with such work, time for me to put mine in. My dad was a printing press tech, maintaining those ginormous machines that crank out the daily paper. I've always striven for his work ethic, not to mention my mom's. Gotta giterduuuun.
(Message edited by 86129squids on May 25, 2020) |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2020 - 10:11 am: |
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No hats, per se, just a hard hat insert. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2020 - 10:29 am: |
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I know it’s not cheap, but it sure is effective. If you’re dealing with humidity, active cooling is really your only option. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2020 - 11:01 am: |
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Hmmm- just re-read the description, "designed to be worn <under> outer clothing. I'll just be wearing t-shirts and shorts in general- heck, I could simply wear this by itself I guess.
I'll certainly mention this to the guy who shoots the powder- his booth is right next to the oven/Gates Of Hell. I've already seen him come out of spraying sessions looking par-boiled... |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2020 - 12:16 pm: |
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Designed to be worn under protective clothing i.e. tyvek, welding jackets, riding suits, etc. I wear it over a teeshirt as an outer garment. Works great. Condensates a bit, so expect to be damp. If it’s hot enough to wear one, you’d be wet from sweat anyway. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 06:06 am: |
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Congrats Brad. Nature's best coolant is sweat. I've worked in non air conditioned automotive and truck shops now on 50 years. 17 in Florida and 21 of them in Tennessee.
Physically the best work days I always have had, is when the temperature is high enough that I break into a full sweat before I even enter the shop.
Drink lots of sugar free drinks. For quick cooling I roll a hand towel soaked in cool tap water around my neck. Resoak it as needed.
When you are in the groove, you will look at it as more an athletic event than a job. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 06:26 am: |
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Just got done with my BK burrito, D'Ogee begging the whole time. Back at it today.
More coffee.
Vern, I drink ice water constantly. |
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