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Showing results for tags 'Office Hijinks'.
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Rule #1: Order the beef, not the vegetarian plate. This does not preclude ordering a side of asparagus, though. Rule #2: Don't lose your coat claim check. I have an expense report to take care of today. One of the drawbacks of being field personnel is how very far away from your home office you can find yourself sometimes. For instance, when the annual Christmas party came to pass 7 evenings ago for the New Orleans office of Modjeski & Masters, at Angelina's in Metairie, Amanda & I found ourselves some 900 miles away, in Morris, Illinois. Not content to have us suffer by my staying at my post (the bridge site), M&M offered us to have our own Christmas party in Chicago. With a budget of $50 per person, many steakhouses in Chicago became open for discussion. We decided to return to the place in Streeterville where we celebrated our first anniversary earlier this year: Lawry's: The Prime Rib (not The Chicago Chophouse, ha ha). Before researching restaurants earlier this year, Lawry's existed in my mind only as a brand of seasoned salt that my mom would pick up on occasion at Market Basket. I had no idea where the players in the Rose & Cotton Bowls ate on New Year's Eve. But wouldn't you know, it was restaurant that beget supermarket, and not the other way around. This trip was slightly more eventful than in June, primarily that June does not have snow. (December usually doesn't have snow either... in Louisiana.) When we made reservations, our only options were at 9 PM on Friday, 9 PM on Saturday, or 4 PM on Sunday. Our only real choice was early Sunday evening. When we made that decision, though, there wasn't a blizzard in the forecast. Growing up in the Gulf South, the first (and, by and large, only) thought that crosses my mind when presented with the word "Blizzard" is "I'll have a small Heath Bar, or maybe the Chocolate Covered Cherry." (I also remember when Dennis the Menace was on those Blizzard cups; why did you go to a disembodied mouth again, Dairy Queen?) Snow really isn't part of the equation. Well, it is now. Amanda & I made the grueling trek up the Stevenson Expressway into downtown Chicago for dinner. I have to hand it to Illinois DOT: they are prepared for snow, and the roadway was in very good shape for snow blowing around. The worst part of the trip was where my windshield washer fluid tank froze, and I couldn't clean my windshield. When we got back to Morris, the dark blue metallic vehicle was 60% whitewashed by the roadway salt. Dinner was amazing, though. It was still worth the trip, but I'm glad I won't have to do that again. I think. -KIE
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2009 shall be known as the Year of the Cruiser. Before this year, no fantasy team by the name "Moss Bluff Cruisers" ever managed by yours truly had ever won any league of any sort. 0-11 in baseball, 0-5 in football. I was fine with this: someone has to lose these games, and apparently, this was my niche. 2009 met the Moss Bluff Cruisers in much the same way as 2006 and 2007: an 0-3 start behind ineffective play by their star 2nd round and 3rd round running backs: Brandon Jacobs and Clinton Portis. Their 12th round pickup, the Saints D\ST had been making a lot of noise, but it wasn't enough to overcome a lack of production from their quarterback, Kurt Warner. Then Week 4 happened. Week 4, when two key starters on the Cruisers roster, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, were on bye, going up against a potent Kenner Knights squad, led by Tom Brady, Chris Johnson, and the vaunted Steelers D\ST. And yet, it would appear that a miracle happened: Shaun Hill has a great day, and the Saints D\ST makes Mark Sanchez look like the rookie he is, scoring 2 defensive touchdowns along the way. Tom Brady has pedestrian numbers, and the only time Chris Johnson breaks the goal line is on a two point conversion. The Cruisers turn their weakest week on paper into a coup of an upset, sinking the Knights (who would go on to win 10 more games) for their first win of the 2009 campaign. The Cruisers would be the only team in their division to post a winning record outside the division, going 6-2 in weeks 4 through 11, having gone from 2 games behind the rest of the division to a one game lead over the second place Kastrators coming back into the division. A Week 12 falter to the Saucier Shockers would tighten up the entire division to within a single game, leading to much drama over the final two weeks of the fantasy season. The Cruisers (6-6) hosted the Touchdown Titans (5-7) in what was basically an elimination game: with 4 division losses, the Cruisers couldn't afford to let any team catch them in the standings. A controversial defensive touchdown scored for the Cruisers D\ST by one of the Titans active offensive players turned out to be irrelevant, as Alex Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, recent pickups Justin Forsett and Jamaal Charles were just enough, as a late Mason Crosby field goal sealed the Cruisers seventh victory of the campaign. This set up what would be billed as the game of the week, as the Moss Bluff Cruisers (7-6) would travel to face the Kenner Kastrators (6-7) for the division crown and a playoff berth on the line. The Kastrators had not made the playoffs since Peyton Manning led them to the Super Bowl crown in 2004, whereas the Cruisers had never posted a winning record, let alone contended for the playoffs. As the horn sounded in Cleveland where Ben Roethlisberger would finish with a scant 200 yards passing and no touchdowns, it would have appeared that fortune shined on the Cruisers cause, as they would coast to an 18 point victory, despite poor outputs from Warner and Fitzgerald in San Francisco. No time to rest on their first winning season, as the Cruisers were thrust into the playoffs against the supremely unbeatable crosstown rival of their division foe, the Kenner Knights (12-2), who had not lost since the Week 4 debacle in Moss Bluff. Tom Brady had an ineffective day in Buffalo, and Chris Johnson failed to break the goal line at home, while Jamaal Charles shined and the Ravens D\ST harassed Jay Cutler's Bears into 6 turnovers, as the Cruisers became the only team to have not lost to the mighty Knights in the 2009 campaign. And then, a matchup against the top-seeded Metry Mudbugs in the Super Bowl.... Your 2009 Digital Engineering & Imaging, Inc. Fantasy Football Super Bowl Champions, the Moss Bluff Cruisers. And, for what it's worth, I ended up winning the church league, too.... Let it be fully understood: the draft is so important to doing well in fantasy football. That, and there is an inordinate amount of luck involved in this game. That said, I am humbled by what God has blessed me with this year. -KIE
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Sorry to have taken so long to post this. Been busy with at TF2 cup competition for a server set I can't link to here because of their forums. Not to mention, 4 fantasy football leagues, and Ultima Online is a better use of my time than, say, staring at a keyboard. I will say this, though: Go <AXE) ! Before congratulating me, make sure you've read the whole of the letter. There are important details. Also, I may not be congratulated at all: I walked into this office the day after I was laid off from Digital, and was only laid off for 20 days, as opposed to the 4 month average. This is divine providence, to be sure, and it reeks of divine appointment. I started this past Monday, by the way.
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I like to make good ones. One thing off the bucket list. -KIE EDIT: the above image is an pressing of my engineer's seal. When coupled with my [noticeably absent] signature, the above impression states that I have reviewed the document attached to the seal, and on my authority and expertise as a professional engineer, the contents of the document are correct, safe for use or construction, or whatever extent dictated by my area of expertise (Civil Engineering), within the state of Louisiana (where this seal is registered). Other states have largely similar requirements for licensure, but separate licensure boards, and thus, different seals.
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17 years 167+10 hours 1700 miles 2 jobs 11 weeks 130 miles per hour 4 cars 12 roses 13 months 3 revisions to the application 1 testing ...and 14046 registrations -KIE, who wonders who'll take a gander at the significance of all the numbers at the top.
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I passed? I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I PASSED! *hysteria* -KIE
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Forgive me for not posting this 28 hours ago: I didn't have time before running out my brother's door in Baton Rouge. Forgive me for not posting this 14 hours ago: I had a splitting headache (which hasn't quite gone away yet). The PE exam was quite similar to the FE exam. The ones I got, I feel supremely confident about. The ones that required books that I don't own, or the one I left in Metairie (The AASHTO Design of Pavement Structures (AASHTO Green Book)), I confess that I took blind stabs. I will say, however, that kinematics saved my backside. The test really tests how comfortable you are with your reference material, and how well you can decipher & categorize all the information given: much of it is extraneous, and if you put every number into the pot, the answer will be wrong. I'm not going to say if I passed it or not: I did an unsettling amount of guessing in the afternoon portion (6 of 40 questions). To borrow a baseball metaphor, I crushed it. I got all of that one. I hit it waaaaaay out of the park. It was twisting foul however, and they'll finish looking at the replay by January. -KIE
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Printed out today, because I just found out that they won't send it through the mail..... (with many formatting errors...I'm transcribing a PDF as best I can) Well, I'm official now. Time to start studying. -KIE
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I get to play Santa Claus tomorrow. The company I work for has decided to give $30,000 to its employees this autumn, specifically, $1,000 to each full-time employee. There's a catch, however: the money is not for us. We've been tasked to give this money away to a person, organization, or cause we deem worthy of it. When I first got this memo back in mid-July, the first opportunity that came to mind is Marcie, my girlfriend's sister: she was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and that's hampered an already threadbare budget. In addition to covering some treatment, the money will help start a college fund for Mikayla, her 6-year-old daughter who just started first grade. So, I'm sacrificing what could be my last Saturday afternoon for a while with my girlfriend (explanation later if I deem it appropriate) to drive up to Jackson, MS, meeting them halfway with cheque in hand. Eh, worse things have happened (like, say, getting caught not being able to go home because of a hurricane). Should be a nice evening, regardless. -KIE, getting to bed early? *gasp*
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*heaves a sigh of relief* -KIE
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Quick note: One has a new appreciation for clean air after spending 3 hours at a sewer treatment plant. That is all.
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Taking a litte time out to post about the neat stuff being passed out at the office. First, there was an ink pen on Monday, and then yesterday [while I was at the parish office], a coffee mug with the company logo. I'll probably get to display it prominently at the Yenni building, every morning when I no longer have internet access during the day. I'm not looking forward to that. Then again, it'll be good for a change in scenery, and who knows: I may get stuff done at that point. Too bad I don't drink coffee, though. -KIE, who isn't an uncle yet.
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Something I'm not going to claim in Fantasy Football this year. Give you an idea of the futility I've put forth this year: According to the breakdown rankings (where your score is pitted against the scores of the entire league, and how you'd fare if you were playing someone other than your opponent that week, and readily visible versus your actual record), in games I've played, I'm 3-6. However, against the entire league, I'm 54-43-2. That's a full game over .500, yet my winning percentage is .333. In other words, I find ways to lose games, week-in, week-out, and I cannot win a low-scoring game, no matter how hard I try. I must score 90 points to win in this league, where everyone else needs only 60. (If I score only 70, invariably my opponent that week will have scored 78 or more.) Dead money. Top that off with a long-overdue report that I have to push out today, and well, it doth not bode well for KIE. At least the Saints got back to .500, with a legitimate shot of going 11-5, or even 12-4. -KIE, who may be favored by 18 over Team LeBreton, but still expects to lose.
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That's what Burg called today: a day to stay home and take naps. No housework. What? It's been raining since 7 AM! No hijinks about it: this was the press release emailed to me.... Yes, that's $50,000,000.00 Maybe I'll get assigned to some of it...maybe I'll end up on just SCIP duty at the parish. :/ -KIE
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Hooray, consonance! Taking the time out from the 2007 Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference & Show to post this. (The KIEpod arrived a day early, but this has nothing to do with it.) Every office has its characters. Some are even stereotypable (as opposed to stereotypical). Consider, for instance, a one Lewis. Lewis (his first name) is the office draftsman, and the original DEII employee. He's the only one who need never fear his employment during slow periods. However, his office is traditionally a bit...over-decorated shall we say. Okay, he has a bunch of collected items. A lot of collected items. So many, that they started to spill over. So much so, that it became an issue in the office in general. To try to bring about a resolution, Tim (the IT guy and Lewis' supervisor) made a wager with him: if Lewis could clean up his workspace, Tim would quit smoking cigarettes. To Lewis' credit, he removed a lot of stuff in January, and, in my opinion, it's a whole different enclave. Tim needs to hold up his end of the bargain. Si (pronounced like 'cy' in 'cyan') has gone from a named partner in another firm (He was the 'C' in "BCG".) to one level above me in the food chain here at Digital. When he came over earlier this summer, he brought 25+ years of files, collected knicknacks, and wall graphics. We think it's growing, and I'm fearful that my office will be used to store stuff because I'm only here in Kenner for half of the week. Lewis has every right to be upset, and it's an existing undercurrent now. No, not about to be a shouting match or anything, but you can tell in tones of voice. This is what awaits you on the other side of college. This is the officescape. -KIE
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Don't ask about the title: none of you would get it. Although favored by 5, the Cruisers trail the visiting Gators by 18 points after Reggie Wayne's two TD performance last night. The fantasy blow made the real loss all the more bitter: next week, I play Marvin Harrison's team, and you know Peyton Manning alternates between the two as TD targets. And then there's the fact that the Saints lost. 7-7, that's my goal this season. 7-7. In other news, the model doesn't like me anymore. Sometimes I wish I were the Engineer in Team Fortress Classic. When something doesn't work there, all that needs to be done to fix it is to beat it with a spanner. In other, unrelated news, Amanda moves into her apartment today or tomorrow. And Vanilla Coke Zero has a 'blyeh' after-taste. Gotta love the stream of consciousness entry.... -KIE
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Fantasy football draft couldn't have gone better, in my opinion. For one, I was the only one who didn't draft with the aid of alcohol, so that may be to my benefit. First, the rules: 12 team league (3 4-team divisions) 14 rounds. Must have 2 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 4 RB-WR flex, 2 K, 2 D/ST on the roster. TE are considered WR. Must start 1 QB, 1-3 RB, 3-1 WR, 1 K, 1 D/ST. Scoring: 6 points for all TDs (Rushing, Receiving, Passing, Return (D/ST)) 1 point for every 50 yards passing 1 point for every 20 yards rushing/receiving 2 points for all 2 point conversions and safeties 1 point for all extra points 3 points for all field goals 1 point per sack 2 points per turnover recovered No penalty for turnovers lost Defensive scoring bonus: 0-6 points allowed = 8 points 7-13 points allowed = 6 points 14-20 points allowed = 4 points 21-27 points allowed = 2 points 28+ points allowed = no bonus And now, the draft: Key: Round # (overall pick): Player, position, team. comments 1 (1): LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, SD. As much as I publicly mulled over this pick, he was a Cruiser as soon as I drew the Ace (first overall pick) in the preseason meeting. 2 (24): Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX. He killed me last year (His 4 TD game was the week I was playing that team.), and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. Drew Brees, QB, NO went #7 overall, and there was much amusement at the expense of the rookies. 3 (25): Torry Holt, WR, STL. Steve Smith was still on the board, but he and LdT have the same bye week, and I didn't want to hamstring myself against the defending Super Bowl champion Mudhens. 4 (48): Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI. Best WR available 5 (49): Jon Kitna, QB, DET. If he can play all 16 games with those receivers, this was a steal, regardless if he makes good on his promise to win 10 games. 6 (72): Deion Branch, WR, SEA. Best WR available, and the Seahawks have a relatively soft schedule to open the season. 7 (73): Stephen Gostkowski, K, NE. Yes, 73rd is high-ish for Gostkowski, but he wasn't going to be there at 96. This was the first kicker taken after Adam Viniateri (who went to the Hooligans in the THIRD ROUND), and 4 more were off the board by the middle of the 8th round. 8 (96): Dolphins, D/ST, MIA. Miami shouldn't be too terrible, and the pickings at DST were getting a little lean. 9 (97): Reuben Droughns, RB, NYG. Platoon guy who might end up starting if Brandon Jacobs doesn't work out. Very passable pickup here, and I need someone to spell the top 2 backs for byes/just in case. 10 (120): Greg Jennings, WR, GB. Best RB/WR available. 11 (121): Brett Favre, QB, GB. Oh, hey, look who I found. Started the second run on QB's. 12 (144): Vernon Davis, TE, SF. With a bunch of mid-level receivers gone, I had to go with a upper-mid level tight end. 13 (145): Jets, D/ST, NYJ. J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS 14 (168): Ryan Longwell, K, MIN. I had to take another kicker, but it's not like I needed anyone in particular. Sorry, T. Don't hate me. In all, I am very pleasantly surprised. To get as much value as I did in rounds 2-6, I actually think I might have a competitive team this year. My only regret is not getting any Saints. But, when Drew Brees goes in the middle of the first round, I'm not surprised. I'll just have to root for specific aspects of the game on certain weeks. I have another draft tonight (that I found out about 90 minutes ago), in an 8-team church league. I'll edit in the results of that draft sometime over the weekend, and maybe republish if it warrants. -KIE
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Office Hijinks will also double for office fantasy football entries that would otherwise fall into the Life in general category. These are the 4 teams in my division. From left to right (west to east): Moss Bluff Cruisers (myself) Laplace Gators Waveland Wusses Perdido Pelicans Pay attention, as I will reference these later this year. This would historically be the 2006 NFC West of fantasy football divisions. The Gators are a perennial hard luck team, the Cruisers are a bad luck team (Last year, my starting QB was Trent Green, and my number 1 pick was Edgerinn James. I'll not elaborate further.), the Pelicans are year-in year-out chumps, and the Wusses are rookies. It wouldn't surprise me if the division winner came from another division, that's how bad this division is, and the draft is still 6 hours away. I know the draft is today, meaning most of the day is a wash, but I need to look like I'm being productive, so.... -KIE
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...it's the breathing that's taking all this work. The model is unravelling. That's the only word for it. I was supposed to finish improvement runs Monday. Instead, I might have calibration finished Monday. In other words, I have 6 weeks of work and 2½ weeks in which to do it. I'm out of time. It's all over. Nothing short of a contract extension or divine intervention will save my hide. -KIE
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Work has gotten snarky this week. Someone didn't follow instructions when filling out a database 7 months ago, so now I have to go over the entire database to fix it, all but recreating the entire thing, before I'll be able to compile it and import it. Snag? Yes. Minor? Not really. Life threatening? Er, *gnashes teeth* no, not today. Check back later in the week. *mutters something that seems to include the words "disrespect" and "moocher"* Just letting you all know I'm still within earshot, I guess. I've got surprises in store for BrickFest. Some things not even Omi knows about. Shanny, I need something from you. -KIE, who, uh, lost his power bill for this month
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Or, a case study in meeting deadlines. Bah, who am I kidding. It's not a case study; it's just a rant. The elevator in the office was fixed today. Well, the repairs were completed, in any case. The hydraulic pumps had given out, which meant, well, I've never worked for Otto, so I don't know what work that entailed. All I know is that the original scheduled completion date was February 5. Then February 19. Then we started joking that it was sometime in June. But, my office building now has a working elevator for the first time in 3 months. While it doesn't mean I won't take the stairs, it does mean that a supply run to Sam's Club can finally take place. Among the needed supplies, mixed nuts, and cases of Coca Cola products is a new refrigerator, because the one on this side of the office gave out about 5 weeks ago. Still no word about the high school acquaintance in the hospital, though I doubt I'll not have heard anything by mid-day Sunday, as I will have the opportunity to go home this weekend for Kyle's wedding. (Kyle was in Michael & Brandy's wedding party; he's Michael's best buddy, as it were.) Looks like I'm going to get that breathing room after all. Too bad the air is filled with the odor of carpet glue. *hack* -KIE
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Republished with an edit. Winter arrives in the Big Easy with a veritable deluge. *grabs the bottom blades of the blinds in his office window (behind his computer monitor), and pulls them down to check outside* Oh, that is SO not funny. I was late for work because of the rain, and now the rain has quit, less than an hour later. Anyway, 3" (7½ cm) of rain over the past 24 hours, might be just as well that it'd slack off. ...... I'm not quite as confident about my picks as I was last year. I'll update "Not For Burgers" over the next few weeks, and republish it on January 9, after Ohio State beats Florida but fails to cover the 8½ point spread. ...... Today is also the day of my office's Christmas party. Last year, 8 of 27 total $20 gifts (We do the gift stealing bit that ChocolateFrogs posted, but without the final steal by #1.) included a bottle of some size of Crown Royal, a Canadian scotch whisky. I'm glad I didn't get one of those gifts, since I don't drink alcohol, and don't really know how to cook with it. >>See? It's possible to be a successful adult without any "social lubricant." *authoritative nod*<< In any case, Burgundy (the office manager) issued a decree: "No Crown on the table this year." Not because there was me who didn't drink at all, but because it showed such an utter lack of imagination. I didn't have that problem. Last year's & this year's gifts from me were Yankee "Housewarmer" candles. Last year: Balsam & Cedar This year: Home for the Holidays ..... I like the office I work for. Not only did I get a (big for my needs) bonus, catalogued earlier, but I also got a Christmas gift straight up. Christmas dinner! A whole turkey (well, the whole bird that would get eaten). A ham. Pecan stuffing Sweet potatoes Crawfish cornbread Gravy A pecan pie and a bottle each of merlot & chardonnay (red & white wines) This is coming home. I'm going home for Christmas this Sunday afternoon. I'll probably post again sometime before that. -KIE
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That coffee discussion I mentioned yesterday? It's become the "Chicory Conflict," and is in danger of escalating into "Coffee Wars 2007". DEII has purchased, or leased or something, a couple of commercial coffee-makers, to replace the coffee pots & coffee makers we seem to go through. One of the neat features of the new coffee makers is the multiple Thermos-style coffee pots, allowing different brews to be hot simultaneously. You've probably seen these things at the continental breakfast bars of hotels, with the black cylinder and the pump on top. These coffee makers came with a supply of coffee, both off-market coffee-already-in-a-filter-packet, and coffee from Café du Monde, a local, yet nationally famous, coffee shop. Unfortunately, neither of these is Community Coffee, the brew of choice for over half of the company that uses the coffee pots on this side of the central hallway. Denis, a designer that left Buchart-Horn for DEII after Katrina hit, has been the most vocal, and has even gone so far as to volunteer purchasing a bag of Community out of his own pocket. This morning, the coffee pots were labeled, with yellow sticky notes, "CDM" and "Better". Burgundy, the office manager, wasn't terribly amused. Now, they are labeled "CDM" and "Brand 'X'". Brand "X" is beating out CDM. You might have to be an avid coffee drinker, or maybe just work in an office, to get how absolutely hilarious this is. But trust me, this is true 490'able material. -KIE
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Wow, a week and change since I've updated this thing. MAN has it gotten busy around here. Updating a few previous items: The Ophidian invasion continues. Napa's become jaded to its presence, as usual.I'm still going to BrickFest, although the gathering of stuff has hit a recent snag. I wish it'd get here already, though...the anticipation is eating away at me.No progress on the model of recent.Why no model progress? Because I've been doing something else! Describing a line! *cricket chirping* But this is better, because I can show you what I've been working on. Here: And then 8 more pages of mind-numbing coordinates, ending at point GU at Bayou Verret, on the St. Charles parish line. 203 coordinates at all. WHAT the frell is it? It's the proposed Growth Limit line for the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. Outside of that line, people won't be allowed to build anything bigger than a hunting camp. You know, to protect the environment, and stuff. And before you raze me over the lack of proper punctuation, Smeag, I checked: it's supposed to be missing the periods. Anyway, that's done, so on to other things. Just checking in as it were. We now return you to your relative obscurity, already in progress... -KIE
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Geez, give the entire board premier privileges, and the floodgates are opened...what is it now, 120 new blogs today and counting? I have to post something just to find my blog! Okay, so what to post about..... Ah, here we go. Today, we finished the sewer manhole surveys for RPC year 3. Let me let y'all in on what the frell that meant: Ever since I got this job, 97% of my time has been spent working on or with a sewer model of Jefferson Parish. It's not exactly what I went to graduate school for, but it is something I'm getting paid for, and I can't complain about that. What is this sewer model? Well, using a really expensive (but apparently worth the money) computer program, I have most of the sewer manholes and lines between them, not to mention the sewer pumps where they are located, all represented in this computer model. 3 quick notes: 1) What is the point? Well, once I get the model tuned to what is observed to occur in real life, I can make changes to that model and how, if at all, the conditions improve. It's better to do it in the model first than to do it in real life, because if it doesn't work in the model, it won't work in real life. And if it doesn't work in real life, your mom's & dad's property taxes just got wasted. Elected officials don't like it when that happens, because said moms & dads tend to not vote for someone who wastes their tax money. 2) How big is the model? Big. There are 70 someodd lift stations on the east bank of Jefferson parish, and we set a record for total pumps for Wallingford, I think. A lift station is a pump station where the sewer water is pumped up (in the case of my model) from about 20' below the ground to about 5' below the ground, and closer to the treatment plant. There are more than the usual number of lift stations here because the water table is so high (~8' below the ground, ~11' below mean sea level). Ask your dad or look it up to find out what a water table is, and then guess why it's bad for sewer water to be very deep below it. 3) How expensive is it? It has a hardware lock (Yes, the thing you plug in behind the back of the computer. That archaic thing.), and the program won't even run without it. A hardware lock costs, oh, about $40,000 for a one-year license. Yes, this thing is worth more than my new car. Don't think you're gonna get a copy of it off the net. Now, about the sewer manhole inspections. No, it isn't pleasant, but it's not as utterly disgusting as it sounds...most of the time. Usually, it entails prying up a manhole cover (that weighs 75 lb. (30 kg)) with a crowbar and a hook that is not sold to young miscreants that would go off stealing manhole covers. (So don't get any ideas.) Once the cover is off, we determine the depths of the pipes coming in and going out of the manhole, and how well the channeling at the bottom of the manhole is holding up, and directing the flow. Sometimes, there is water backed up in the manhole, and that is, um, unpleasant. But you do what you gotta do...and sometimes, what you gotta do can't be done. Anyway, today was the last time I have to inspect a sewer manhole in Jefferson parish for quite a while. I've got so much work in the office backlogging, I'll be busy through the end of the year, at least. Longer if I keep wasting time typing this....oh wait, it's already 5:35 PM. Softball game tomorrow, I'll update the below posting with the results. Y'all root for Kenner, okay? -KIE
