Traveling for Work (again)

I now have a 2 month project inspecting water pipe for a Chevron project in Bwari a suburb of Abuja, Nigeria. Our team of 6 is working 12 hr shifts 7 days a week for this 9 mile pipeline. The security is keeping the Boko Haram at bay including concertina wire at the hotel wall.

A Birthday Party for My 65th

No sheetcake for me! Just extra, extra, extra chocolate! And grateful for my daughter's oven including two grandkids willing to help me eat a cake celebrating my 65th birthday.

Time for an Update

Visiting my daughter with Ella and Philip at one of Lincoln's stops coincidentally the home of Hanover Pretzels. I got the site for Aleta's new shed prepped so she can empty her garage and get started on her furniture refinishing projects without have to climb over the riding lawnmower ha ha.

A New One - Finally

No pictures today, just rambling......I've been working mostly six 12's since the end of May in Victorville, CA - including Saturdays! Now I've started a second project for the same agency with the pipe being fabricated near downtown LA. It's a 50 minute commute in prime Los Angeles traffic. The saving grace is they start at 5 am. But going home is a royal pain at 15 mph. Fortunately this is only for a week, then I'm back commuting Cajon Pass until fabrication starts in late Dec. That part is only 6 miles away in Riverside and I'll be starting a second job at the same firm...nothing like double dipping to keep the wolf away. I have 3 jobs running and I've turned down another two. This is stone cold crazy - I'm supposed to be retired!!!
The morning economic news is contract employment is dropping and not for the usual reason, becoming direct hires. So if companies are not hiring from temp agencies (ie. letting go) are the direct hires the next to get fired...likely!

I Will Never Buy a New Car

My favorite Jeep wrecking yead has been auctioned off and Pick-a Part scrapped everything!! If car manufacturers cannot support their product or cannot stop the clock, why should I buy something that's going to be obsolete? Besides I can still fix this without a dealers computer and tech at $80/hr.

The Budget Debacle

So what is so difficult to understand about “you cannot have any more money”?

DC has overspent for years and that means everyone. Now we finally have some congresspeople with principles who cannot be corrupted by the “good ol’ boys” there. Do you REALLY trust Congress…look what they did to Gramm-Rudman – declared an emergency and overrode it. Ten years of cuts???? That’s two elections! The rating agencies, Moody’s etc set the downgrade threshold and the proposals are missing that by 25%.

Default is not a necessity, there is enough daily income to cover the nation’s debt interest, Social Security, and military pay. Default is a SCARE TACTIC by the administration.

 ***********  You cannot have any more taxes    ************

Dateline: 7 PM Sunday-    A budget 'framework' has been agreed on.
I hate Washington speak - these budget cuts still allow an 8% raise when the GDP is growing 1.3%! It's still spending more than comes in.

Another Day, Another Dollar

Reminds me of George Thoroghgood's "get a REAL job".
So I'm back in a pipe mill inspecting the fabrication of water transmission pipe for the next 3-4 months. And screwing up a perfectly good summer when I had planned on taking a bike tour of the southwest. Eventually I'll get to see Monument Valley on my 'Iron Horse' when John Ford filmed a lot of his western movies. With only Sunday's off, I'll barely have time to finish the cosmetics on the Cherokee.