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CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 10, 2008

Did You Remember to Set-off the Firecrackers?
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

I’ve read that construction projects in China start and end with a bang. Tradition requires that the evil spirits be frightened from the site by setting off a bunch of firecrackers at the start of a construction project, then again when the building is ready to be occupied.

I like that tradition and may suggest it to some of my clients…probably not the big church project I’m currently working on.

Do you have any traditions or superstitions that you start or end projects with? Post a comment if you do.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

November 18, 2008

What Would You Do for $200/hour?
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

My friend, all-around good guy and highly talented construction man, Ron Fox, sent me this email forward. I don’t usually include this sort of thing, but it makes me laugh every time I look at it. The email noted that there is a job opening for a surveyor in Fort McMurray, Alberta at a rate of $200/hour tax free. The qualifications included being “quick on your feet.”

surveyor_bear1

surveyor_bear2

surveyor_bear3

surveyor_bear4

surveyor_bear5

surveyor_bear6

By the way, if it was you in polar bear avoidance mode, how many of your construction buddies would have stood there taking photos instead of helping you? Just about all of them? That’s what I’d guess as well.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

October 16, 2008

And I Think I Waste Too Much Time…
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Some days I get frustrated with my lack of productivity. I have lots of things to do but just can’t get efficient about getting them done. A lack of productivity for me means more hours I have to work to get my job done.  But then I see a video like the one below and think, “Hey, I’m fine, at least I didn’t take all the time to make that…I just took four minutes to watch it.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U82eWptFxSs&feature=related]

Here’s wishing you a good and productive day.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 29, 2008

Men's Restroom Etiquette
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

We went to a multiplex movie theater yesterday, as I walked into the toilet I remembered this funny video on Men’s Restroom Etiquette. It expounds on the social contract of male restroom use. Men are praised for their efficiency compared to woman, but warned of several rules to never break. For example, we are told that speech is our enemy and to never, ever say a single word within the Men’s Room.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzO1mCAVyMw]

Since most of us build toilet facilities in our buildings, I thought you would benefit from knowing the rules about how to use those facilities. You may want to forward this instructional video to Building Owners prior to beneficial occupancy. You may even want to insert this video in the Plumbing Operation and Maintenance manuals. I’m just saying…

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 4, 2008

Simple is Better
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Listen to this 911 call and see if you agree with me that it sounds like a construction worker making the call.

911.wmv

Now I’m a big fan of Simple is Better for most construction site decisions, but I’m not sure I’d agree with that one.

Hope your day is going better than his. For some more laughs, check out the Construction Knowledge Discussion Forum. Read a few posts and put up some of your own.

Thanks to Jim Stuckey from LCBC Church for sending me the 911 call listed above. Jim and I make a good team working together on the church addition project. If you have any news or forwards that you think would amuse others that read this site, please send them to me.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 1, 2008

What's Mine is Urine
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

My nephew John works as a leadman, and sometimes foreman, for a paving company. He loves practical jokes (must be genetic) and played a real doozy this past week. A buddy of his was real worried one day because his back hurt the previous night and he’d taken a painkiller from his Mom. He worried that the random drug test van might pull up and then he’d test positive for a drug with no prescription.

John saw the opportunity and pounced on it. He mentioned that someone called from the office and warned that the drug testing van, in fact, was on the way to their jobsite. The worried guy freaked, debating if he should hide on the jobsite or just go home. They convinced him these options weren’t practical.

John had a better idea. He’d heard of a guy who had a bag of clean urine taped to his thigh, so when he went in to give the sample, he could tap from that bag. Being a good friend, John then offered to provide such a bag of urine. When John handed the worried guy the quite full bag of urine, he warned him that he had to keep all of it taped to his thigh, because the testers also checked the temperature of the sample and having this much would keep the temperature up.

They then gave him a roll of Duct tape and sent him into the portable toilet. Since the worried guy is also a real hairy guy, the thought of all that Duct tape on his thighs made it even funnier (kindness isn’t the first attribute that springs to mind on most construction sites). Now word had spread around the site, so lots of people were chucking and waiting for the worried guy to come out of the toilet, walking a little funny, with a bulge in his pants.

He came out walking normally, but a closer look showed wetness all down his pant legs. Seems the pee bag broke as he was taping it on. Isn’t it wonderful to have good friends?

If you have any stories that might make me laugh (like the one above did) please post them in the Construction Knowledge Discussion Forum and try to win some of the prize money discussed below.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

August 22, 2008

I'm Reading the Russians
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

“I’m reading the Russians,” he said, “in that dark voice people always use when they are reading the Russians.” So goes a line from one of Richard Brautigan‘s novels that I read as a young man. Being a weirdo, I wanted to know who these Russians were and why they gave people a dark voice. So I read some Dostoyevsky, some Tolstoy and a bit of Checkov. I came to really appreciate Russian culture, their beautiful buildings and their tough-minded approach to life. The photos below show some of the cool buildings they constructed in the 1700s and early 1800s (and give a sense of the times).

If those photos captivate you a bit, I encourage you to read the Russians. I’ve got a few of Tolstoy’s short stories that you can download here for free which I think you’ll enjoy. Just download a free copy of Joyful Living and you’ll find the Tolstoy stories:

  • That Whereby Men Live, p. 119
  • How Much Land Does a Man Require? p. 177
  • Where Love is, There God is Also, p. 219

My life has been forever changed by reading Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (helped me decide to ask Debby to marry me) and Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov (made me understand that staying married was going to be difficult for me). I hope you try one of the Tolstoy stories above, or any great literature for that matter, and see what it does to you.

How does this affect your work as a Construction Supervisor? Reading great writing makes you think, improves your empathy and develops your people skills. As you grow as a person, your work side gets drug along.

As an odd aside, Richard Brautigan, mentioned at the start of this post, left the most creative suicide note ever. He apparently was looking out his window at the Pacific Ocean when he put a bullet into his head. He lay there for over a month till his severely decayed body was found. The note he left simply said, “Messy, isn’t it?” Life, and death, tend to be so.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

August 14, 2008

The Amazing Human Brain
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Are you having a rough day/week/month/year? Don’t despair. You have hidden abilities to solve problems that you never even imagined! Try reading the graphic below (don’t give up right away, actually give it a try).

So if you can read this, what other amazing thing can you do today? Good luck.


CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

August 5, 2008

Be a Hero: Build Fun Stuff with Kids
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Those of us in construction generally share the interest (and talent) for building stuff. I found a great website to help point kids in that direction as well. Whether you have children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, neighbor kids or whatever, consider helping them with a fun project that shows them how to make things. August is the perfect time of year to get them doing something fun and instructive.

For example, an old bike tube, bike pump, coat hanger and soda bottle can make a Soda Bottle Rocket that really works. Print out the instructions in the pdf format and give it a try with a kid.

I believe the losers in our busy culture tend to be the kids. They have less free time to just play and less time with interested adults who will do fun things.  I challenge you to check out this HowToons.com website and share it with some kids you know. Have them look through it and come up with the project they’d love to build. Help them gather the materials and give them some encouragement…and maybe a bit of technical aid here and there.

Our society needs more kids interested in construction, engineering and science, in how the real world works. This type of play motivates the mind to look in those directions. It helps kids become curious. So help the kids around you to have some cool experiences building things. They’ll create memories they will never forget and gain some understanding and respect for what you do.

I’m going to buy the Howtoons book and try some of the projects with my nephews. I’ll let you know how it goes. Give me some feedback on any projects you’ve done or are doing with kids.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

July 26, 2008

My Second Favorite Thing to Do
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

I went for a walk in the woods this morning, just the dog and I trudging up and down the hills. Red raspberries grow wild in these woods. I love to pick a few deep red wine colored berries and pop them into my mouth. These over-ripened berries are just ready to fall onto the ground and delight me with their sweetness. The walk makes me feel right with the world.

Part of my walk this morning

Part of my walk this morning

Do you know what activities bring you a deep sense of joy? Do you take time to do those things on a regular basis? I’m usually surprised by how many people don’t get off this treadmill life we live and take time for joy. I know that most of us in Construction find some joy in our regular days…along with lots of aggravation. We enjoy being part of the building team. But I’m talking about doing those things that aren’t related to work, that help make you who you are.

When I walk through the woods I look and listen and contemplate the complexity of it all. I talk to my dog. I talk back and forth with God, though I usually do most of the talking. I go through some favorite memory verses. I just walk and daydream. Somehow, though, my day goes better and my week goes better when I walk in the woods on a Saturday morning.

Life goes by fast, discipline yourself to live with joy.

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